Gundam Wing-Ghosts of the Past
by Lilangel4u
Summary: AC 200-Peace is threatened,and the Gundam pilots step up to the challenge.But is their enemy who it seems to be?What secret does the mysterious figure hide,and what does this all have to do w/Wufei's secret past?1xR,2xH,3x?,4xD,5x?,ZMxLN
1. Part 1: Old Friends Gather; The Enemy is...

Gundam Wing: Ghosts of the Past  
Prologue  
It has been four years since the attempt by the Bartons to seize power. The year is   
now AC 200, and the people of Earth and the those of the colonies have been living in   
peace. The Gundam pilots have separated, but, after the Mariemaia incident, have agreed  
to keep in touch. Much has happened within these few years. Duo Maxwell and Hilde Schbeiker   
have married, and Quatre Raberba Winner and Dorothy Catalonia are likely to follow their lead.   
Trowa Barton is still working at the circus with Cathrine, and Wufei Chang is still working as a   
Preventer, though he and Sally Po have long separated. No one is quite sure exactly where   
Lucrezia Noin and Zechs Merquise have disappeared off to, but they know they are alive and well...  
and with two children. Lady Une has adopted Mariemaia Khrushrenada as her own.  
And of course, what of Relena Darlian and Heero Yuy? Well, after disappearing for two  
years, Heero returned, still the somewhat cold and emotionless person he was before, but yet  
somehow, different. This change in personality gladdened Relena greatly, and she was determined  
not to lose him again, and she hasn't, because this time, Heero was determined to stay.   
However, they never discussed those two years; it was one of those silent agreements of theirs.  
But amid all the joy and peace, there is hidden resentment...A new power has arisen,  
fueled by greed and jealousy. Hiding in the shadow, it watches...and waits.  
  
AN: This is my first fic, so please review! I accept all comments, but try to be easy on  
the flames, okay? ^.^  
  
Chapter 1   
At the sound of the bell, Duo Maxwell hurried to the front of the store.  
"Aww...just when I was about to close up too," he protested good naturedly. "Still,  
business is business I guess." When he opened the door, he encountered a pair of cold blue  
eyes, eyes that would have seemed unwelcoming and dead to the average stranger. But to Duo,  
they were the eyes of someone who used to think he was dead, but had now discovered   
otherwise. Even in that moment, Duo's sharp eyes could detect a flicker of life in those   
eyes, a flicker of light found in those who have feelings and emotions. But he didn't dwell   
on it; he was just glad to see the man.  
  
"Heero! How are you? You haven't come by in so long that Hilde and I thought you'd   
pulled another one of your disappearing acts again or something!"  
  
The solemn man didn't say anything for a moment, but then the corners of his mouth  
twitched in the semblance of a smile.  
  
"Oh come on Heero! Smile! Come on, is a true real smile all that difficult?" Duo  
goaded gently. "Really, for someone who has waged war against this entire planet and then some,  
a smile can't be all that difficult!"  
  
"Don't push it," Heero said wryly, ending the subject, but he did do another one of his  
half smiles, this one somewhat wider. "I've come to ask a favor...", he began, but then trailed  
off awkwardly.  
  
"Favor?! You, ask for favors?!" Duo exclaimed, then rapidly subsided when he saw the   
steely glint in Heero's eyes. "Alright," he said briskly, "what can I do for you?"  
  
"Well..."Heero began in a strangled voice, then straightened his shoulders and asked in  
a much bolder voice, "I need you suggest to me a, ah, romantic place for dinner," he finally  
choked out.  
  
Duo stared for a moment, too stunned to speak, and then managed, "Well, ah, sure, Heero,  
but WHAT THE HECK FOR?!"  
  
"Don't be so cold Duo!" a new voice chided gently. Hilde walked in, trailed by a  
bouncy three year old. "Heero, it's so nice to see you again! Duo and I were afraid you'd   
disappeared again!"  
  
"So I've heard."  
  
"So what is it that you need? A romantic restaurant?" she inquired. Encouraged by his  
tentative nod, she continued, "A personal favorite of mine is the French restaurant across town.  
It can be a little difficult to get reservations, but since we've done the manager a few   
mechanical favors, I think we can get you reservations. When do you need them?"  
  
"Tonight."  
  
"Okay," she said. "That shouldn't be too difficult."  
  
Heero nodded. "Thank you, I owe you one."  
  
"Really, Heero! When is the fact that we're friends going to get through to your thick  
head? Friends do favors for each other!" Duo scolded.  
  
Heero's mouth twitched again, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked down at  
little Jericho, Jerry for short. "Hi Uncle Heero!" the child said enthusiastically.  
  
"Hello Jerry," Heero responded. "I wonder what our children would look like..." he  
thought to himself as he unwittingly stared off into space.   
  
Duo and Hilde exchanged glances. Regardless of how much he had changed, it was very  
unlike Heero to zone out; rather, he was usually very alert. "Heero," Hilde began gently,  
"would this restaurant have anything to do with Relena and the box I saw you walk out of the  
jewelry store with this afternoon while I was shopping?"  
  
Heero abruptly jerked himself back to reality and stared at Hilde in shock. "How did  
she know?!" he thought to himself furiously. At the same time, Duo whirled around to stare at  
his wife. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed. "Jewelry store?!"  
  
"I...I mean..er, well, what I meant was..." Heero stuttered, then gave up; it would be  
useless to try to deny it. "I wouldn't have been like this five years ago!" he thought. "Why  
did I change?", then answered his own question. "I fell in love, that's what..."  
  
"Wow! Jewelry store, huh? Heero, you son of a gun, you're finally going to do it!"  
Duo cheered. Jerry supported his father. "Uncle Heero, are you gonna get married? I like   
Auntie Relena. She gives me candy and hugs!"  
  
"She might not say yes you know," Heero said stiffly. "I mean, I've run away enough  
times now haven't I? She's probably tired of me."  
  
Going up to Heero, Duo howled into his ear, "HEERO NO BAKA! You idiot! Of course she's  
going to say yes! She's been waiting for you ever since she first met you! Really!"  
  
As Duo howled about Heero's lack of sense, Hilde pointedly ignored her  
temporarily insane husband and instead focused on Heero. "Heero, that's wonderful!" she said.  
"But are you sure you want to propose in a crowded restaurant? Why not take her out for dinner,  
then suggest a visit to the park near here and propose there? It'd be much more romantic that  
way."  
  
"Alright," Heero agreed. "Thanks for your help."  
  
"Hey, Relena's not the only one who's been waiting for you to propose," Hilde joked.  
"We'll get you your reservations, and the rest is up to you, okay?" Heero nodded, then turned  
to leave. "Thanks for everything."  
  
"Bye Heero!" Duo called cheerfully. "Good luck, not that you'll need it, hehe."  
  
a few hours later...  
  
"Heero, it was so nice of you to invite me out to dinner," Relena said kindly. "You   
don't how much I appreciate this," she continued as Heero pulled out her chair for her.  
  
Heero managed to choke out a few words that made no sense to even him as he nervously  
sat in his own seat. Relena regarded Heero curiously. Even if she had known him for so long,  
he was sometimes still a mystery to her. But she didn't mind that. That enigmatic air was  
something she was used to and admired...and something she loved him for. "But I don't know if  
he feels that way too..." she thought. "Then again, he's already promised me he won't leave  
again," she reassured herself, and she knew how difficult it was to receive a promise like that  
out of someone like Heero. "But still...why is he so nervous?"  
  
Heero, well aware that Relena was observing him, attempted to regain his composure by  
donning the cold mask he had often used during his battles in the war years ago. "The steak  
looks good," he said stiffly, hoping that there was actually steak on the menu, since he was  
too nervous to look at the menu.  
  
"The steak looks delicious," Relena encouraged him. "I think I'll order that too."  
  
The only thing Heero managed was a nod, and he called the waiter over to order their  
dinner.  
  
meanwhile...  
  
"Duo, WHY are we doing this?!" Hilde whispered furiously. "Heero is going to KILL you  
for spying on him!"  
  
As he struggled to hunch down behind the bush and juggle the camera and answer an   
indignant Hilde at the same time, Duo hissed, "Hey, he's going to thank me for this one day!   
And besides, they're not here yet!"  
  
"Which is why we should take this opportunity to GO HOME!"  
  
"Oh come on Hilde! I KNOW you want to see Heero Yuy get down on one knee and propose to  
Relena just as badly as I do."  
  
"Well...yes, but a camera?! Duo, Heero MIGHT thank you one day, AFTER you've already  
died because he had killed you tonight!"  
  
Duo grinned, "Aw, c'mon Hilde! You know just as well that no matter how mad Heero gets,  
he will be too dizzy with happiness to care or remember this incident, because all he'll be  
thinking about at that point is Relena!"  
  
Hilde sighed. "Fine, FINE!" she said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "I'm out  
of arguments, but I still don't think this is a good..." she started but was abruptly cut off as  
Duo kissed her. Regarding his stunned wife with satisfaction, Duo said smugly,   
"You were saying?"  
  
an hour later...  
  
Relena regarded Heero with a worried expression. Heero had barely said a word all  
evening, besides asking her five times how her steak was without looking at her. He had also  
taken barely taken ten bites of his steak. "Heero," she started, "is something wrong?"  
  
"NO!" he nearly shouted, but calmed down and said, "no, I'm just not very hungry, that's  
all," then added somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry if I spoiled this evening for you."  
  
"Oh no, Heero!" Relena exclaimed. "I'm so glad that you took me out, and bothered to get  
reservations here. I know how difficult it can be! Don't worry; I love it!" she blurted in a  
rush.  
  
Heero felt a surge of warmth rush through him; she had said she loved it. "Well," he  
thought, "may as well get it done with." Standing, he said, "You know, it's too crowded here.   
Let's go to the park."  
  
Relena stood also and smiled; Heero was finally warming up. "That would be wonderful,"  
she said.  
  
"Let's go then," Heero said, offering her his arm.  
  
  
at the park...  
  
"Here they come," Hilde whispered.  
  
Readying his camera, Duo smirked, "Who's eager now, huh? Ow!" he added, as Hilde gave  
his braid a yank. "Keep it down," she snarled quietly in an effort to hide her  
embarrassment.  
  
The two watched Heero and Relena walk down the path. Neither were talking, but both  
looked peaceful and happy. As Relena was admiring the moon, Heero would keep sliding his eyes  
over to her and then anxiously slip his hand inside his pocket to reassure himself that the  
box was still there. Finally, he stopped in front of a bench, near where Duo and Hilde were  
hiding. "Let's sit," he said, then berated himself mentally for sounding so strained. Relena,  
however, did not notice, and merely sat, smiling at him.  
  
"Isn't it so wonderful out Heero?" she asked, smiling serenely. "It's times like these  
that really makes me think that fighting so hard was worth it. What do you think, Heero?  
Heero!" she gasped, since he was already on one knee.  
  
"Here is comes!" Duo whispered excitedly, carefully zooming in his lens.  
  
"Relena," Heero choked, "I don't know how to say this because I'm afraid I'm not a   
romantic person, but even though I have so many faults...will you...will you...marry me?" he   
finally finished.  
  
"Heero!" Relena cried, "Oh Heero!" then she started sobbing. Heero felt his heart sink,  
but then Relena flung her arms around him. "Of course I will Heero! Oh, I thought you'd never  
ask; this is the happiest day of my life!" she managed. Temporarily stunned by her outburst,  
Heero slowly perceived the meaning of her words. "You mean...you mean...you're saying yes?" he  
said cautiously, afraid to believe what she had said. "YES!" she cried, "Yes, Heero Yuy, I will  
marry you!"  
  
And at that moment the camera flashed.   
  
Chapter Two  
  
a few months later...  
  
"Which is better, the pink or the blue?" Relena asked Dorothy as she whirled around  
holding up two sets of flowers.  
  
"Blue," Dorothy said immediately. "It matches your eyes."  
  
"I think the blue is beautiful, Miss Relena," Mariemaia said shyly. After the near  
disaster a few years back, Mariemaia had become a much quieter child. In fact, she had been  
downright withdrawn for a year before Lady Une had managed to gently coax her out of her shell.  
  
"You think so?" Relena smiled at the solemn girl. "Yes, I have to agree with you two.  
I like the blue too. Okay then," she said, turning to the ribbons, "now, which is better, white  
with pink and yellow or white with purple and blue?"  
  
"Relena!" her mother laughed. "Relax! You still have several months, and the majority  
of the details have all been planned. You just need to decide on the final details."  
  
"Your mother is right Relena," Dorothy agreed. "The church has been found, the plans  
with the restaurant and reception arranged, the musicians have been dealt with, your dress and   
the dresses of the bridesmaids, and flower girl," she added, acknowledging Mariemaia, "altered,   
Heero's found a suit he actually likes, and the same goes for the others, your brother has been   
found and has promised to come, the press has been informed..."  
  
"Oh the press!" Relena said disgustedly. "They're so nosy!"  
  
"Yes, well, you ARE Relena Peacecraft," Dorothy said mildly. "It's something a princess  
must deal with."  
  
"And I'm sure they can't be as bad as Duo," Hilde remarked, remembering the incident a  
few months back. Relena had to laugh at that one. "Yes, I remember the look on Heero's face  
quite well," she chuckled. "It was most interesting to see the expressions on his face change  
back and forth." At first, Heero had been completely shocked, then livid with rage, and then his  
mouth twitched and he burst out laughing. Of course, he had given Duo's braid an extra hard tug  
afterwards, but he didn't kill him either, as Hilde had predicted. "He requested copies of the  
picture later didn't he," Relena said, and Hilde nodded.  
  
"Exactly what happened?" Dorothy demanded. "I've heard this story so many times, but   
I'm still confused."  
  
"Duo went out on a suicide mission to take a picture of Heero proposing to Relena, and he  
dragged me with him," Hilde said. "We hid behind a bush for an hour until they came."  
  
"And Heero let him get away with it?" Dorothy said incredulously. "I'm surprised, no,  
I'm downright shocked!"  
  
"Yes, well, Heero HAS changed," Relena said softly, staring off into space. "But enough  
of that," she said abruptly. "What about these ribbons?"  
  
Everyone gave a small sigh, then burst out laughing.  
  
downstairs...  
  
"So Heero, am I a good photographer or am I not?" Duo said smugly, admiring an enlarged  
version of the picture he took months ago. "NOW are you glad you didn't rip the camera from my  
hands and tear out the film?"  
  
Heero grunted, trying to ignore Duo, which is what he usually did whenever Duo became  
particularly annoying.  
  
"I still don't understand why you let him get away with it," Wufei remarked, "I probably  
wouldn't have if I were in your position."  
  
"Relena has changed him," Trowa said calmly from his usual position, leaned against  
the wall with his arms crossed. "Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing."  
  
"Oh come on you guys, leave Heero alone," Quatre offered.  
  
"Leave him alone?! Oh come on Quatre, have some FUN! Be adventurous!" Duo teased.  
  
"I usually leave that up to Dorothy," Quatre said somewhat weakly. Wufei let out a  
snort. "I don't understand why you let that WOMAN stomp all over you. Have some pride!"  
  
"Dorothy's changed!" Quatre said defensively. "She doesn't pretend to love war like she  
used to, and she's different now!"  
  
"With just the occasional extreme mood swing," Duo snickered.  
  
"Lay off of Quatre now," Trowa said. "It's not his fault that Dorothy was raised the way  
she was."  
  
"It's okay Trowa," Quatre smiled. "I know that they're just joking around. Anyway,  
isn't Zechs supposed to be coming back today? I haven't seen him or Miss Noin, er, Mrs.  
Merquise, for years!"  
  
Heero nodded. "They said they would come at two. It's almost two now."   
  
Just then Relena, Dorothy, Hilde, and Mariemaia came downstairs.  
  
"Hey how's the bachelor party coming along?" Dorothy called out in greeting as she went  
to wrap her arms around Quatre. Quatre blushed and smiled a somewhat silly grin.  
Wufei rolled his eyes, and everyone else hid a smile. It was common knowledge that Dorothy  
definitely was the dominant one in the relationship. Duo had even joked once that she probably  
had a leash that she chained him to, which had earned him a hard smack on the head from Dorothy   
and a painful tug on his braid from Hilde.  
  
"We're just fine," Quatre said, still with the silly grin plastered on his face. Just  
then the door opened, and in walked Lady Une. Though Mariemaia was the illegitimate daughter of  
Lady Une's late lover, Treize Khrushrenada, and Leia Barton, Lady Une still loved Mariemaia like  
her own. "Mariemaia, it's time to go home. You have school tomorrow," she said after greeting  
the others with a brief nod. Obediently, Mariemaia stood to go.  
  
"Going so soon?" a voice remarked. As everyone turned around, in walked Zechs, Lucrezia,  
and their two children, identical twins Reena and Aelis, who were three years old.  
  
Leaping to her feet, Relena ran over to her brother. "Zechs!" she cried, flinging her  
arms around him, "it has been so long!"  
  
Smiling faintly down at her, Zechs reprimanded her gently, "I am no longer a Peacecraft,   
and so therefore I am not your brother." But he still returned the embrace, and then turned his   
attention to Heero. The two stared at each other for a minute, finally Zechs extended his hand.  
  
"Heero Yuy," he began formally, "we meet again, and finally under joyous circurmstances."  
  
Heero simply nodded, and everyone held their breath. Zechs and Heero had once been  
enemies; how would they react now that they would have a common link between the two of them?  
Finally, Heero extended his hand also, and everyone breathed again. Relena stopped looking  
anxiously from one to the other, relieved that the two men had accepted each other.  
  
Next she turned her attention to Lucrezia. "Miss Noin, I'm glad to finally see you   
again! I never got a chance to thank you for helping with my terra forming project! Or wait,  
it's Mrs. Merquise now isn't it?"  
  
Lucrezia smiled and said, "For old time's sake, let's just call me Miss Noin. I've never  
really liked the concept of changing last names."  
  
Wufei let out another snort, though this time a discreet one. Though he had to admit to  
himself grudginly that Miss Noin had indeed proven her prowess on the battlefield, Wufei still  
had difficulties overcoming his chauvanistic beliefs, mainly because he saw no reason to. As he  
took a closer look, he saw the two little girls. "Twins," he mused to himself, and then an  
unexpected pain went through him, like a icy hand gripping his heart. Jerking himself upright,  
he quickly suppressed the feeling, but he didn't look at the twins again for the rest of the  
day.  
Chapter 3  
  
"Where are my flowers?" Mariemaia nearly cried with frustration. "I'd hate to ruin this  
day for Miss Relena, especially after what happened three years ago," she thought miserably.   
  
"Are these it?" Hilde asked, holding out a basket of rose petals.   
"Yes, thank you!" Mariemaia said, breathing a sigh of relief. Even though Lady Une and  
the others had told her repeatedly that it wasn't her fault; that she had simply been a puppet  
of her power-hungry grandfather Dekim, she still felt guilty. Even at school, some of her  
classmates still regarded her with mistrust, and being called names had been commonplace for the  
first month or so. She could still remember herself, a foolish little girl, dressed in the  
ridiculous clothes of the Barton regime, boldly declaring war on Earth, and threatening to drop  
a colony on it, taking thousands of lives with it. Mariemaia couldn't help but shiver a little;  
she was glad those days were over! As she hurried out to get ready to walk up the aisle, she   
couldn't help but pray silently, "Please let nothing go wrong; please let nothing go wrong..."  
  
Elsewhere, Relena was being fussed over by at least ten people.   
  
"Mother, I am so nervous!" she said.  
  
Fluffing her daughter's veil, Mrs. Darlian said soothingly, "Don't worry Relena,  
everything is going to be fine. I felt the same way when I married your father."   
  
At the mention of Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, mother and daughter fell silent,  
remembering the horrible day five years ago when he had been assassinated, and by Lady Une.  
  
"I wish Father could be here with me today," Relena said softly. She still had  
difficulty with the fact that she would have to walk down the aisle alone, with no father to  
give her away, no father to smile through teary eyes at his daughter...  
  
Relena quickly shook herself out of that trance; it would do no good to cry. And   
besides, she thought somewhat ruefully, the press would have a field day if they saw her walk  
out with puffy eyes and smeared makeup.  
  
"Relena, it's time," Miss Noin called from the doorway. "Mariemaia has already taken her  
place, and the bridesmaids have almost completely entered the chapel also. Oh yes," she added  
humorously, "Jerry called out, 'Hi Mom! Hi Dad!' but other than that, everything is going  
perfectly."  
  
Relena nodded. "Thank you Miss Noin," she called. Then taking a deep breath, she  
stepped out.  
  
after the wedding...  
  
Relena was exhausted. There simply was no other word for it. She had thought flying  
around on shuttles to attend meetings around the clock had been difficult, but standing through a  
ceremony, taking hundreds of pictures, shaking hundreds of hands, posing for the media, and all  
the while keeping a smile on her face had exhausted her. As she glanced over at Heero, who had  
not shaken anyone's hand and had only inclined his head slightly to each well-wisher, she could   
tell he felt the same. Despite the fact that he was an ex-soldier, the fatigue was faintly  
visible in his eyes, or maybe it was boredom, she thought wryly. She sighed, but then slipped  
her hand through his, and was comforted when he intertwined his fingers with hers.  
  
After the long line of well-wishers had passed, Relena and Heero escaped to the   
limousine that awaited them to take them to the restaurant for the reception. Once inside,   
Relena heaved a big sigh.  
  
"Heero, sometimes I wish I weren't a princess," she couldn't help but complain to him.  
"All this protocol to follow, and all these fancy details! It gets so aggravating!"  
  
Heero's mouth twitched. "Understood," he said simply, but looked at her with such  
tenderness that Relena felt some of her exhaustion slip away. Sighing, she leaned against him.  
"But you know what Heero?" she said softly, "I couldn't be happier right now. Odd, isn't it?"  
Heero didn't respond, but she knew he felt the same.  
  
However, this tender moment would not last.   
  
Chapter 4  
  
The private moment Heero and Relena had been sharing was suddenly interrupted. As they  
were heading towards the restaurant, Heero suddenly stiffened and stared out the window.   
Sensing his tension, Relena promptly sat up.  
  
"Heero, what's wrong?"  
  
Heero didn't respond, only looked grimly through the window. Relena was shocked to see  
the expression on his face; it was the "perfect soldier" face, the same look that he had had   
during the war. It was a face Relena was terrified of, the expression of being totally devoted  
to a cause, whether it be right or wrong, and willing to shove aside anything it its path. Then  
she looked out the window.  
  
"Why are all those people gathered around that sky scraper staring at the screen?   
Wait...there's someone on that screen! But I can't tell who it is...Heero, do you know who that  
is? Heero?!"  
  
But Heero had already opened the door to the slowly stopping car and jumped out. "Stop  
the car!" Relena ordered, and followed Heero.   
  
Heero grimly strode towards the mob of people gathered around the building, or more  
specifically, the giant screen mounted on the building. As he walked, he couldn't help but  
feel a shadow of resentment. Here he was, on the happiest day of his life, and suddenly this  
mysterious figure appeared. Though nothing seemed to have happened so far, Heero had not spent  
his years fighting in vain; his instinct told him that something was very wrong.  
  
Relena followed Heero, squeezing through the still growing mob. She could barely keep  
up with Heero, who was heading his way towards the front of the crowd. As she neared the front,  
she could already see Duo and Hilde, Zechs and Noin, Trowa, Wufei, Quatre and Dorothy, and Lady  
Une with Mariemaia. Finally, she fought her way through the hushed crowd and looked up.  
  
On the screen was a figure in shadow. It was impossible to identify the speaker, let  
alone determine whether it was male or female. It appeared to be regarding the Gundam pilots   
with a cooly appraising look. As Relena went to join Heero, it shifted its stare towards her.  
  
"Greetings, Miss Relena Peacecraft Darlian Yuy," the figure said, but the voice was so  
icy and devoid of human emotion that Relena was taken aback.  
  
"Greeti-" she started to respond, but a swift look from Heero convinced her otherwise.  
  
"I am the pilot of the mobile suit known as Phoenix, and I am addressing you on behalf of  
an elite organization. This organization is small, nameless, but I can assure you, not to be  
trifled with. For these past years, they have been watching this planet and the space colonies   
closely, and-  
  
"What is your point?" Zechs demanded in a harsh voice.  
  
The figure curled its lips upward in a mockery of a smile. "Mr. Zechs Merquise, yes, you  
have always disliked elaborate speech. Forgive me," the figure said sarcastically, "for  
offending you. But per your request, I will cut to the chase, so to speak. Mrs. Yuy, they are  
declaring war."  
  
"War?! But why? There has been continuous peace for the last few years."  
  
"Exactly. I won't try to hide it; the ones I represent lust after power and wealth, so  
therefore, with the colonies and Earth completely defenseless, thanks to your plan for  
disarmament, they will be easy targets. One bold stroke, and you will all be at their mercy."  
  
"You speak as if you are not a part of this 'elite organization,'" Heero spoke up cooly.   
"What about you? What do you plan on getting out of this?"  
  
"Nothing...absolutely nothing. I have simply sworn loyalty to those I represent."  
  
"Then why fight?!" Relena cried in frustration. "Surely you are skilled enough to break  
away from these tyrants!"  
  
"That is my concern, and none of yours, Mrs. Yuy."  
  
"So now what?" Wufei spoke up. "You've declared war; we are defenseless; what now?"  
Even though he spoke calmly, inside, Wufei was seething. "How could I have been so stupid?! As  
a Preventer, I should have been able to detect this a long time ago! How long have they been  
planning this takeover?"  
  
"My superiors are in favor of striking now, as we speak. But I...have convinced them  
otherwise."  
  
"Why? To humiliate us?"  
  
"You are truly a member of the Chang clan; the emphasis you place on your pride is  
obvious. Be careful; it will be your downfall."  
  
"And just what concern is that of yours?!"  
  
"Touche, Wufei, I admit your point."  
  
"And you STILL haven't answered my question!"  
  
"Patience, Chang Wufei. I have my reasons, which are not your concern. But I will tell  
you this: I have bought you three years. On this day, AC 203, we will attack. You have until  
now to then to prepare yourselves. Arm yourselves however you wish."  
  
Quatre spoke up, "Who is we? Who will attack?"  
  
A brief silence, and the figure smiled again. "Phoenix and I will be waiting for you.   
But our fight is not with the civilians. It is YOU we wish to fight."  
  
"Why do you wish to attack only the Gundam pilots? Why not others?" Hilde demanded.  
  
"No one stands else stands even a small chance against us," the figure stated flatly.   
"In fact, I have doubts about the abilities of you pilots as well, but that doesn't matter. You  
will represent the people of Earth and the colonies. Defeat myself and Phoenix along with the  
very few other members of our little group, and you have saved your future. Lose..." and the  
figure let the sentence hang. "Also, by fighting you alone, the number of casualties will be  
minimized, though others are welcome to committ suicide by attempting to challenge me," the  
speaker added sardonically.  
  
"Since when were you concerned about civilian casualties?!" Dorothy snapped. Shrugging  
off Quatre's arm, she continued, "Your dictatorship that you are threatening to establish will  
result in the loss of lives as it is; no one will be willing to accept your tyrannical rule, and  
we will all fight and die rather than accept it!"  
  
The crowd cheered, and Dorothy smiled smugly. But the figure was not at all  
intimidated. "Miss Dorothy, let us worry about that later. Focus yourselves instead on  
rearming yourselves. My advice to you is to establish a base in space; the little 'summer home'  
you and Quatre have used for many a, ah, interesting, evening, will suffice." Dorothy could  
feel her cheeks turn red, and Quatre groaned. But the speaker seemed oblivious, simply  
continuing with, "And one more thing: if you plan on rebuilding your gundams the exact way as   
they were four years ago, forget it. You will be crushed, and I hate wasting time. I look  
forward to meeting you in battle in three years."  
  
"Wait!" someone in the crowd. "How do we know you're not bluffing, huh? This could be  
some joke for all we know!"  
  
"Quiet!" Heero hissed, whirling around, but it was too late; the damage was done.  
  
"So you need proof, is that it?" the figure said coldly. "Well, then, here is your   
proof. I hope you enjoy the fireworks." Turning around, the figure barked, "Detonate satellite  
MO4 now!"  
  
"NO!" shouted Relena. "There are civili-"  
  
Her words were cut off as a bright flash lit the area. Fearfully, the entire crowd  
turned towards its source: a ball of explosive light as bright as a supernova was in the sky.  
  
"There's your proof. Goodbye," the figure said dully, and disappeared. 


	2. Part 2: Let the Games Begin; Counting th...

Chapter 5  
  
three years later...  
Relena wearily glanced at herself in the hallway mirror. "Tomorrow is my three year  
wedding anniversary, and the beginning of yet another struggle...I'm so scared. What a fine  
way for the date of my wedding to go down in history."  
  
"Mommy?" said a small voice, and Relena looked down at two year old Mariko Yuy.   
  
"What is it sweetie?"  
  
"Mommy, why is everyone so sad?" the perceptive child asked.  
  
"Why does she have to be smart?" Relena thought, half with pride, half with regret.   
"Why does she have to have her child-like innocence gone so soon?" Relena thought with envy of  
little Jerry. No, not so little anymore. Jerry was now six, as were Reena and Aelis. But   
even now, Jerry hadn't lost his cheerful personality. "Just like his father," Relena thought  
ruefully. "That's good; we'll need someone to cheer us up from now on."  
  
"Why mommy?"  
  
Relena swore inside her mind. "Damn! Did I just say that out loud?" she thought  
wearily. "This stress is definitely getting to me." But she shook herself out of her daze and  
reached out for her child, who snuggled against her.  
  
"Things are going to be a little difficult from now on, Riko. But you don't worry about  
it okay? Let Daddy and me take care of it?  
  
"Will you and Daddy be okay?"  
  
Relena hesitated, then forced a fake smile, "Of course sweetie, of course."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"So what do you think? Good thing we have all this technology now, or there's no way  
I could have finished all your gundams in time, eh?" Howard said, wiping sweat from his brow.  
Heero didn't look at his old friend but continued to study the lined-up suits. He listed them  
mentally in his mind: Wing Gundam II, Deathscythe II, Heavyarms II, Sandrock II, Altron II, and  
Epyon II.   
  
"I know the names aren't exactly original, but hey, that's the least of our concerns  
huh?" Howard said apologetically, trying to jar the younger man out of his daydream. "Hey  
Heero, you still there?"  
  
"Did you install the Zero system in all of them?"  
  
"WHAT?! Are you insane?" Howard howled. "Sure, I installed them in Wing II and Epyon  
II, but you know what the Zero system did to the rest of you guys, right? It nearly drove  
them nuts! Plus, none of you have handled a MS in four years...right?" he finished, throwing  
Heero a suspicious glance.  
  
"Do it anyway," Heero said flatly. "We don't have a choice."  
  
"Fine fine," Howard muttered, turning back to the gundams. "Heero, you really believe  
this guy's serious? I mean okay!" he said, throwing up his hands in defense when Heero fixed  
him with a glare. "Sure they blew up a satellite with civilians on it, and sure they've got  
firepower, but how powerful is the PILOT? A mobile suit is no good without a good pilot, as  
I'm sure you know."  
  
"Just trust me on this one Howard. This guy's good."  
  
Howard heaved a sigh. "Okay Heero. Whatever you say. I'll install the Zero systems."  
  
Heero nodded, and turned to leave, then hesitated.  
  
"Howard, what improvements did you make on the gundams?"  
  
Howard shrugged and said, "Sorry Heero, I couldn't really do much, not in three years. Remember,  
Relena's disarmament plan included the destruction of all the data on the gundams. So  
basically, I had to wing it, and my memory's not so good these days you know...But I   
did add a nifty little function that would disable the Zero system with a push of a button," he  
said smugly. "And besides, it's probably better if you six are fighting gundams you are all  
familiar with. I made these guys carbon copies of the originals."  
  
Heero stopped, thought for a moment, and then left.  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"Trowa, you will be careful won't you? You won't try to self-detonate again right?"  
Cathrine asked anxiously, helping Trowa move the last of his things into Quatre's private  
home in space. Trowa didn't respond. Cathrine sighed, then said, "Okay Trowa, I know that's  
probably too much to ask from you, but at leat, will you make sure not to self-detonate until  
you know you have no other choice whatsoever?"  
  
Trowa paused in his work and turned to regard the woman he had come to think of as a   
sister, then nodded. Cathrine smiled in relief. "Well, that's good. I guess that's the most  
I'll be able to get out of you anyway."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"Dorothy, are you sure you want to come? It's dangerous, you're pregnant, and-" Quatre  
faded as Dorothy shot him a nasty look. "Well," he said lamely, "don't you care about the   
baby?" As soon as those words were out Quatre regretted it instantly. Dorothy flew at him  
furiously.  
  
"Quatre Raberba Winner! Don't you DARE patronize me! And don't you dare bring the  
baby into this mess! I've been carrying it for 8 months; I know EXACTLY how to handle it!  
Dorothy finished belligerently, daring Quatre to argue.  
  
Needless to say, Quatre gave up.  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"Hey Dad! Can I pilot your suit? Huh? Can I? It looks so awesome!"  
  
"Jericho Maxwell! Get back here!"  
  
"But Mo-om..."  
  
"NOW!!!"  
  
Duo winced. He had never seen Hilde this angry. "I guess this can get to even the  
most relaxed of us," he thought wearily. He still couldn't believe the hectic three years  
were over, and tomorrow was the day. All during those three years, they'd been franctically  
planning, getting back into shape, re-memorizing the various codes, digging up old   
documents...And it didn't help that the general public was in a frenzy. Relena spent almost  
no time at home. She was either appealing to the people to remain calm or helping Dorothy  
prepare the space station for their base. "It's a wonder we all haven't gone gray  
overnight," Duo thought.  
  
Next to him, Hilde ran her hand through her hair and tried to ignore the sulky looks of  
her son. "I don't even know myself anymore," she sighed to herself. "I can't believe this is  
really happening. For the past three years, I've been hoping I would wake up from this   
nightmare, but now, seeing these gundams, I know that this is no dream."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
Wufei was meditating in a clearing. He had moved his belongings up to the station a   
long time ago, and had already tested his new suit, which had already been christened Nataku,  
just like his previous two mobile suits. Though he appeared calm on the outside, inside, he  
was full of rage. He hadn't been the same since the day he found out Sally Po had been on that  
satellite, and had obviously died when it exploded. From then, he had sworn to kill the  
mysterious pilot responsible for her death. Even though they had separated a long time ago,   
Sally finding his chauvanistic ideas just too difficult to deal with, he still felt an  
attachment to her. He could remember how he had raged at the pilot at first, then fractically  
joined the other Preventers in an effort to find out any information about this organization.  
When that failed, he quit his job and instead spent the rest of his time honing his skills.  
Plus, Wufei had a nagging feeling about the other mobile suit that just wouldn't go away.  
  
"It's called Phoenix..." Wufei mused, and shuddered. Just the name of the suit was  
enough to bring back memories he had forgotten, memories he hadn't ever shared with anyone, not  
even Sally.  
  
"I'll make you pay!" he exploded, jerking himself out of his comatose state. "For what  
you've done, I swear I will kill you!"  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"Mariemaia! You are NOT coming with me!"  
  
"Oh yes I am!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"Mariemaia, I'm your mother now!" Lady Une exploded. "For your safety, listen to me  
and STAY HERE!"  
  
"Yes, you're my mother now; I don't deny that. But that doesn't mean you always know  
what's best for me! And what's best for me right now is to be able to go with you!" Mariemaia  
shot back with clenched fists.  
  
Lady Une massaged her temples; they had begun arguing about this issue ever since the  
day the speaker had issued his challenge. "Mariemaia," she began calmly, but was abruptly cut  
off.  
  
"LISTEN TO ME! I'm NOT a little girl anymore! I'm a teenager; I know exactly what's  
going on! Staying here on Earth isn't going to help; I'll just worry myself sick! Don't you  
want me to be as happy as possible?! Don't you want me to be by your side?!" Mariemaia  
finished as the first tears began squeezing out of her eyes.  
  
"Mariemaia..."  
  
"I WANT TO GO!! I can take care of myself; you made sure of that. I can use firearms,  
I can even pilot a Taurus mobile suit. I can outrun most people, and not just in my own  
age group. And I've also been getting myself into shape for these past years! PLEASE! Let...  
me...GO!"  
  
Finally, Lady Une couldn't take it anymore. She broke down crying, just like her  
daughter, who dove into her arms. "Fine," she choked through her tears. "Fine, you win. I'll  
let you go."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"Zechs, is it really best for Reena and Aelis to come?" Noin began worridly. "They're  
only six years old."  
  
Glancing up from packing, Zechs said, somewhat ruefully, "Haven't you seen Mariemaia  
argue with Lady Une? You know Reena and Aelis are just as strong-willed."  
  
"But Mariemaia is fifteen. She's nearly three times their age."  
  
"What else CAN we do? We don't know if they'll attack the Earth when we're in space.  
Chances are, the twins are safer with us."  
  
Noin sighed. "I know that you're right, but I'm so worried! What if they attack the  
space station when we're not there?"  
  
Zechs stood up. "What if this, what if that. There are thousands of things that could  
happen, all of which would endanger the twins. Yes, they could attack the station; they could  
infect it with viruses for all I know. Really Lucrezia, I'm speaking hypothetically!" he said  
when he saw the shocked expression on her face. "All I'm saying is that the twins will be  
SOMEWHAT safer in space with us rather than Earth away from us, where we'd have no idea what'd  
be going on. Try to calm down," he said, going over to massage her shoulders. "We still have  
one day."  
  
  
The Gundam pilots and their friends weren't the only ones preparing. Somewhere, hidden  
in space, the mysterious pilot was staring at the Phoenix. "Let the games begin Phoenix," the  
figure whispered.   
  
  
Chapter 6  
The fateful day had finally arrived. All the Gundam pilots and their friends and family had  
moved up to the space station, and all were anxiously watching the clock.   
  
"The wedding finished at noon," Dorothy said quietly. "The pilot delivered his message  
at approximately 1:05. We have...ten minutes." she finished grimly. The others continued  
staring at the clock. No one budged, not even Jerry. It seemed as if the seriousness of the  
situation had finally been perceived by him. Mariko was clinging to her mother's skirt and  
shifting her gaze from person to person with wide eyes. Reena and Aelis stood quietly by their  
parents. Serious by nature, and remarkably intelligent, just like Mariko, both had understood  
the situation a long time ago, and even as Relena glanced at her nieces, she was amazed at how  
quickly both had grown up. Mariemaia stood by Lady Une. Now that she had actually been allowed  
to come, the other aspects of the situation had sunk in. "We're dealing with our future right  
now," she thought. "It's all going to come true in five...four...three...two...one..."  
Suddenly a monitor flickered. Simultaneously, the entire group turned to it, and just like   
three years ago, the same figure appeared. It did a mental headcount, then nodded.  
  
"I greet you. I see you have all come, and on time. At this time, please shift your  
attention out the window behind you."  
  
The group turned around, and despite Mariemaia's composure, her jaw dropped. In front of  
them was an asteroid, common enough, only this asteroid was opening up. Inside was a massive  
structure, a space battleship.  
  
"That is our base," the figure continued tonelessly. "We give you fifteen minutes to  
prepare. At the end of fifteen minutes, meet me in between our station and yours. The battle  
will commence there." The screen blinked out.  
  
The pilots lost no time. Kissing Hilde on the forehead, Duo grimly followed the rest of  
his companions who were filing out of the room. Heero, Zechs, and Quatre did the same, and they  
all walked out to where Howard and the gundams were waiting. No one said a word; they all   
knew that their fate would be determined in fifteen minutes. Trowa finally broke the silence.  
  
"Howard, did you install the Zero systems in all the suits?"  
  
"Weell..." Howard stalled, and then shot a look to Heero. But Trowa needed no answer.  
"I understand," he said, then turned to his suit.  
  
As Wufei jumped into his suit, he ran his hands over the once-familar consoles and  
buttons. "Hello Nataku," he said softly. Just like before, Wufei always felt that his late  
wife Meiran was present whenever he piloted his suit. "Lend me your fighting spirit once again,  
and then you can rest."  
  
Quatre entered his suit. "Dear Sandrock, we meet again." Quatre couldn't really   
believe that he was doing this. "I thought we had finally obtained peace; I really did!"  
Quatre couldn't help but cry as he vented his frustration. "Why can't some people  
realize that life is the most precious thing in the universe?"  
  
Trowa entered his suit silently. "I'm no longer nameless again. I'm Trowa Barton  
again. No," he said, shaking himself mentally. "I chose to give myself this name. This will  
be my first battle when I am fighting with my true name, the name I gave myself."  
  
"Here comes the God of Death," Duo thought grimly as he vaulted into his suit. "But  
it has been so long; will I be the one to meet my Maker when I go out there today, or the other  
way around, like it used it be?"  
  
As Heero entered his suit, he thought, "Before, when I thought, I was not human. I   
had no feelings, no emotions. But now, I'm alive. I'm fighting not just for the freedom of  
the general public. I have a wife and child to think about now. Can I still be the Perfect  
Soldier?"  
  
Finally, Zechs entered his suit. "Treize fought with honor," he said, remembering his  
former and late friend. "Will this pilot do the same?"  
  
Finally, each pilot was in position. With their friends and relatives watching  
anxiously from the window, Howard opened the door, and each pilot jumped into space, ready to  
face whatever challenge lay ahead.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
As the pilots flew out to meet their challenger, the figure of a lone mobile suit appeared. It  
was in a humanoid shape, but it seemed to have wings on the back that resembled a cross between  
a bird and an angel. The head was also in the shape of a fierce bird of prey's. It was holding  
a long metal rod, and there was a large beam gun mounted on its side. But the most shocking  
aspect about it was soon to come, because as it came closer, Quatre choked a shocking revelation.  
  
"What the...?! That's not a gundam?! What is it then?!"  
  
Each pilot checked its stats; each computer confirmed the same. The mobile suit heading for them  
was definitely not made of gundamium; rather, it was much stronger than gundamium and not much  
denser.  
  
"We're screwed..." Duo muttered. "That's it, we are all dead."  
  
"Not yet," Wufei said grimly. "Let's see what the pilot can do first."  
  
The lone suit flew towards them, then slowed and stopped.   
  
"I acknowledge you once again. The battle will now begin."  
  
Suddenly, the metal rod the suit was holding changed into a double headed thermal weapon. On  
one end it was in the shape of a huge double headed axe. On the other end, it was a large hooked  
scythe much like the one on the Deathscythe, but more curved down rather than long. The pilot  
swung it a few times, then charged.  
  
"If you expect us to run, they you're MISTAKEN!" Zechs snarled as he hurled himself   
forward. "Stay back everyone! We have to see what this guy can do first." As the others  
complied, he turned to his opponent...but it was no longer there. "What?! And why isn't it  
showing up on my heat sensors?"  
  
"Zechs! Above you!" Quatre shouted. Zechs looked up, but it was too late. The pilot  
smashed the weapon...flat side now...on Epyon's head.   
  
"He didn't kill him..." Wufei wondered. "But Epyon is definitely out of the game."   
  
Wufei's observation was true: during the time it took for Zechs to recover, the other  
pilot had knocked away his beam sword, and then used it to slice through Epyon's arms,   
incapacitating it. Due to the attacks, Epyon completely shut down.   
  
"Did he strike there on purpose? Did he know exactly how to completely incapacitate   
Epyon?"  
  
"That was fast," Heero acknowledged to himself. "But I can't turn on the Zero system   
yet...have to save it."  
  
"So you're gonna try and imitate me huh? Well, let's see how well you do agaisnt the  
original God of Death!" Duo growled and jumped in.  
  
Duo and the other pilot exchanged fierce blows. "Not that good are you?" Duo  
smirked. "Heero! Try to get this guy from behind!"  
  
But as Heero moved to fire his buster rifle as the Phoenix's back was turned, the Phoenix  
suddenly moved to the side and shoved Duo forward, flipping the Deathscythe over, and using it  
as a shield.  
  
"Hey! What the?!" Duo fumed...then realized, "Well well well, this guy can intercept our  
calls can't he. Huh, this makes things more difficult."  
  
But during this time, the Phoenix had already dived out of reach and circled back at  
Duo as he was struggled to regain his balance. Before he could do anything, the pilot brought  
the scythe down and knocked away Duo's scythe. The second blow severed it in half.  
  
"That does it!" Quatre shouted. "Everyone, attack at once!"  
  
"NO!" Duo shouted. "Not yet! Deathscythe and I aren't finished yet!"  
  
But apparently they were. As Duo fired his buster shield at the Phoenix, the pilot swung   
at the projectile...and sent it straight back at Duo. When he moved to get out of the way, it  
hit one of his suit's arms and crippled it.  
  
"Duo, you can't do anything at this point," Wufei said grimly. "I'm going in."  
  
"So am I!" Quatre said.  
  
The two pilots warily circled the Phoenix, who, Wufei noted darkly, had the audacity to look  
bored. "Wufei, lets try to drive this guy into a box," Quatre suggested.   
  
"Uh, you guys? I think you should know he can intercept your calls," Duo's voice  
crackled over the speaker.  
  
Wufei ground his teeth in irritation. Fine, so they'd have to wing it. That suited him  
just fine. Hoping to gain the element of surprise, Wufei lunged, brandishing his trident.  
The other pilot responded by grabbing his trident instead of using the scythe. Wufei   
quickly used his Double Dragon fang in hopes of hitting the other suits head, but suddenly the  
Phoenix ducked and Wufei hit Quatre, whose heavy suit made him unable to dodge as quickly.  
The other pilot had also succeeded in grabbing his trident. Suddenly, Duo came up from behind  
and using his one good arm, grabbed the Phoenix around the waist.   
  
"Get him now Wufei," Duo called, not caring if the other pilot could hear or not. But  
it was not a wise move on his part. Using both the Phoenix's own weapon and Wufei's stolen  
trident, the pilot jabbed the trident into Deathscythe, then cut off the good arm with the  
scythe. In order not to hit Duo, Wufei jerked the Dragon Fang away at the last moment.   
Though Duo was not hit, the flash temporarily blinded the pilots and the other pilot ducked out  
of view again.  
  
Trowa finally spoke up. "Duo, you and Quatre help Zechs and move off to the side.   
Wufei, you, along with Heero and I, we should activate the Zero system now."  
  
"Agreed," Wufei said. The loss of his trident had rankled his pride, and he was  
determined to defeat this unknown pilot.  
  
"Activating Zero system now," Heero said.  
  
With three gundams using the Zero system, the Phoenix seemed to be at the disadvantage.  
The three gave no quarter, Trowa firing relentlessly with his gatling gun, making it difficult  
for the Phoenix to recover, and Heero hacking away with his beam saber on one side and Wufei   
striking with his Dragon fang on the other.   
  
"We've got you now," Wufei said, aiming his Dragon Fang.  
  
But unbeknownst to the pilots, a light had flickered on in the Phoenix's cockpit as soon as the  
Zero systems were activated, and though the pilot had not originally wished to use it, there was  
no other option, and the pilot tapped in the code words ANTI ZERO.  
  
Suddenly, the three pilots started experiencing excruciating head pain. "What's going on in  
there!" Quatre shouted. "Zero...system...being...overloaded...kills..." Heero managed to say,  
holding his head in pain, his training and discipline keeping him from screaming out in pain.  
  
"I'm...disabling..."Trowa gasped, and immediately pressed the abort key, grateful that  
Howard had insisted on adding that function when he had rebuilt their gundams. But even so, the  
three pilots were in no shape to fight. The overloading of the Zero system had completely  
skewed half of the functions of each of the three mobile suits. All six of them looked at the   
Phoenix, who seemed to be regarding them curiously.   
  
"Quatre," Duo's voice crackled over the speaker, "What would happen if we all self  
detonated simulataneously?"  
  
"Not much," Quatre said. "Zech's suit has completely shut down, and the self-detonation  
devices on Heero's, Trowa's, and Wufei's suits have been incapacitated during the overload, so  
only you and I are left. But it'll take several seconds for our suits to gather enough  
energy to detonate, and judging from this guy's speed, he'll probably get away. There isn't  
much we can do."   
  
"Go ahead...finish us..." Wufei managed dully. "We've failed..."  
  
The pilot seemed to consider this, then suddenly, it flung Wufei's trident back at him, and,  
turning around, left, leaving behind six pilots, their gundams damaged and prides crushed.   
  
Chapter 8  
  
"Why didn't you finish them?" a voice demanded.  
  
Removing the helmet, the pilot said, "I'm interested in making this last as long as possible;   
have some fun in the process. Besides, those suits interest me. They may not be made of   
X-Gundamium, as Phoenix is, but they are a good source of raw materials, materials you will  
need.  
  
The first speaker seemed to consider this, then nodded. "Yes, you are right. You truly have  
become the perfect fighting machine."  
  
Bowing, the pilot said, "All thanks to you. If you excuse me, I would like to take a quick   
shower."  
  
on the space station...  
  
"HEERO! Heero, oh God, what HAPPENED out there? Suddenly you and Wufei and Trowa just froze!  
What the heck happened to you three? Heero, what's the matter with your head?!" Relena blurted  
as she hurried down to help her husband out of his suit. Zechs emerged from his suit, unhurt,  
but furious, his pride injured. "I can't believe I was defeated so early!" he fumed.  
Wufei was not in better shape. Disoriented from the head pain, and shamed, he could only  
murmer as he forced himself out of his suit, "I'm sorry, Nataku, I'm not worthy," before he  
collapsed, gasping for breath. A shaky Quatre was helped by a frantic Dorothy, and Trowa was  
aided by Cathrine, who was almost crying. Duo was dragged out by Hilde. The pilots regarded  
each other silently for a moment, until Duo broke the silence.  
  
"What did I tell you? We're screwed."  
  
"No, no," Hilde said firmly. "You've survived one battle; improvements can be made on  
the Gundams, you can fight again!"  
  
"Again?" Zechs barked. "That pilot knew us and our suits weaknesses perfectly. Plus,  
we can't use the Zero system at all. We'd have to develop something new, and that takes time,  
which is something we don't have."  
  
"We could try to steal information from their station," Quatre suggested. "That pilot   
was too good. He had to been using SOME sort of system similar to the Zero but not the same,  
or he would have been affected too."  
  
"Good idea...theorectically," Duo said. "Just look at that station; it's a fortress.  
It's got mobile dolls surrounding the whole thing; we can't hack into their main computer; and  
we have no idea what defenses they have on it."  
  
"So now what?" Relena said fearfully.  
  
Heero stared at the floor. "I don't know..."  
  
Suddenly one of the technicians called to them.  
  
"You guys better look at this! That guy's back!"  
  
Wearily, they looked at each other. Finally, Duo sighed.  
  
"We don't have much of a choice. Ready to be humiliated again?"  
  
As they gathered around the screen, the look on the pilot's face was clearly disgust.  
  
"That...Was...Pathetic," the pilot said loudly and clearly, enunciating each word.   
"I had doubts about your abilites three years ago, but this exceeds my doubts. That wasn't  
even a battle."  
  
"And your point is..." Wufei said wearily.  
  
"My point is, there's no point in fighting you. You can be written off, since the six of  
you certainly are no obstacle. However, your suits are of interest to me..."  
  
"Me? Oh, so you're referring to yourself now, instead of 'they'?" Duo said somewhat  
sarcastically.  
  
"Yes, me. Of course, my superiors are in favor of destroying you, but I told them that  
I wished to fight with honor. Therefore, they will not be wiping out you and your pathetic  
little resistance group. But I think your gundams will come in handy, as far as raw materials  
are concerned..."  
  
"RAW MATERIALS?!" Zechs roared.   
  
"You must learn to control your temper, Mr. Merquise. It is a sign of weakness."  
  
"I NEED NO ADVICE FROM YOU, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!"  
  
"Tsk tsk. As I was saying, I intend on obtaining your gundams. To do that, I will need  
to eliminate you, but in the most honorable way possible. So...I advise that you each watch  
your backs. I have no desire to become a thief, but if the owners are out of the way..." and the  
speaker let it hang.  
  
"Your technology is far superior than ours. Why do you need the materials?" Trowa said  
in a very controlled voice.  
  
"Though gundamium is nothing compared to what Phoenix is made of, raw materials are raw  
materials, and will come in handy. However, the other reason I'm interested in obtaining your  
gundams is because you have all failed me on the battlefield. Face to face, however, I   
wonder if the outcome will be different."  
  
"So you want to fight us, face to face, is that right?"  
  
"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other issues to attend to."  
  
And with that, the screen went blank.  
  
Chapter 9  
"THAT BASTARD! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!?!?!?" Zechs ranted and raved, even as Noin was   
washing his wounds.  
  
"Zechs!" she said sharply, "Stop it! You'll frighten the children!"  
  
This stopped Zechs in mid-rant, and he shot a sheepish sideways glance at the various children.  
But even though Jerry and Mariko looked rather subdued from his outburst, Reena and Aelis were   
not. Walking up to their parents, Reena took one hand and Aelis the other.  
  
"It's alright, Father," the taciturn Aelis said. "We understand."  
  
"That man was very rude wasn't he?" Reena stated. "He deserves to be yelled at."  
  
Smiling at his girls, he kissed each one on top on the head.  
  
"Daddy is sorry. You should not imitate his example."  
  
"It's okay," Aelis said, just as Reena said, "That's why we have mother," hoping to get  
her father to smile. Aelis jabbed her twin, and Reena stuck out her tongue, causing both   
parents to give out feeble laughs.  
  
Heero, meanwhile, was brooding in the room he and Relena shared. Relena walked in, trailed by  
Mariko, who promptly attached herself to her father, and turning around, said accusingly, "You  
told me everything was going to be okay!"  
  
Relena looked like she had been slapped, but Heero took the child firmly and said, "Your mommy  
did the best she could, just like your daddy. But your parents won't always be right, as much  
as we try to be. Remember that, Riko."  
  
The child was puzzled by his words, but nodded obediently and went over to Relena and, hugging  
her leg, said, "I'm sorry Mommy. I was a meanie." Relena, who was trying not to cry, just bent  
down to hug her daughter.  
  
Later that evening, after the children were asleep, the pilots had a quick meeting.  
  
"I hate to be the one to say this, but what do we do now?" Hilde said.  
  
Rubbing his temples wearily in an effort to rid himself of the aftermaths of the pain,  
Heero said, "Nothing, except to make sure that no one is alone...ANYTIME. This includes the  
children especially. In an effort to obtain the gundams, that pilot, or whoever he works for,  
may attempt to capture the children to use as pawns.  
  
Mariemaia shuddered, knowing how that felt.  
  
Heero continued, "We should also try to find this pilot. We don't know a thing about  
him, and we have to find out as much as we can about him. Therefore, the most we can really do  
is attempt to hack into their computers and look up data about him. Other than that..." and  
Heero trailed off. Relena couldn't believe how old and defeated Heero looked. "I've never  
seen him like this," she thought. "Do we even have the ability to protect the peace we have  
finally achieved?"  
  
next day...  
"Duo, wake up!"  
  
Duo was promptly jarred from his dream when Hilde shook him awake.   
  
"Duo, there's a message from that pilot!"  
  
That was enought to wake him up. Throwing on some clothes, he sprinted to the control room.  
Sure enough, on the screen, a message blinked: I will be on the moon today, in the main shopping  
district. I will be stay on the first floor of the main shopping complex. Meet me, if you dare.  
  
The pilots stared at the rude message for a moment, then Quatre said, "I'll go."  
  
"I'm coming with you," Dorothy said immediately.  
  
"But your safety-" Quatre began, but Dorothy silenced him with one look.  
  
Duo laughed ruefully. "It's nice to know some things will never change."   
  
Chapter 10  
  
Finally, it was Quatre and Dorothy and Duo and Hilde who decided to answer the pilot's challenge.  
  
"For heaven's sake, be careful, all of you," a worried Cathrine said. "I know I don't  
know too much about this, but just watch okay?"  
  
"Don't worry so much Cathrine," Hilde said, trying to cheer her up. "We know how to  
take care of ourselves.  
  
Cathrine nodded uncertainly, but inside, she thought, "But if you know how to take care of  
yourselves, why did last night happen?"  
  
at the moon...  
  
"I still remember how I came here to pick up Relena's wedding present," Dorothy said  
wistfully. "That seems so long ago now."  
  
Quatre nodded absently, but was scanning the crowd more than he was listening to his wife. He  
really doubted that scanning the crowd would give him any hint of who the pilot was, but it was  
either that or drive himself insane with apprehension. He also kept checking the device on his  
wrist every few seconds. They had all agreed to not only bring weapons, but to wear tracers.   
That way, if any of them disappeared, they would know where. So far, he counted four blinking  
dots. Quatre allowed himself a small sigh of relief, then turned his attention back to Dorothy.  
  
"Let's go there," Dorothy said, tugging on his arm. Seeing her husband hesitate, she  
smiled sadly. "I know, it sounds shallow, but we need to act normal don't we? Plus, I'll go  
crazy just standing here, waiting for something or someone to swoop down on me." Quatre smiled,  
and nodded. Putting his arm around her, he said, "Alright, let's go."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"Duo, checking that thing every five seconds is not going to help!" an exasperated  
Hilde said. "I mean, I know we should be cautious, but we stick out like sore thumbs here, just  
standing around!"  
  
Duo glanced at his wife, sighed, and said, "Okay, you win. Let me just talk to Quatre, and we'll  
go and try to look normal, okay?"  
  
in a store...  
  
"Quatre? Hey Quatre, you there?"  
  
Quatre jumped at the sound of Duo's voice, nearly dropping the crystal vase he was holding.  
  
"Yes what is it?!" he said franctically. "Is Hilde okay? Are you okay? Oh no, don't   
tell me..."  
  
"Quatre! Relax! I'm just checking to see if you're okay, and since you obviously are,  
I am now going to pretend to go shopping with my lovely wife like any other guy, okay?"  
  
Quatre breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, that's fine...I'm doing the same right now."  
  
"Okay man. Over and out."  
  
Quatre sighed. "Whew," he thought. "I nearly just had a heart attack."  
  
"Quatre! Come over here!" Dorothy called.  
  
"Okay," Quatre said, and started to make his way through the crowded store. As he  
fought his way through the mob, he felt something prick him. Too late, he realized that he had  
just been injected with something, and he sagged down, and was promptly dragged through a door.  
The figure found the tracer, plucked it off, and disabled it. Then the figure looked at the   
device on his wrist and noted the positions of the other dots.  
  
"Quatre? Oh, where did he disappear to?" Dorothy said in an exasperated voice. As soon  
as the words were out of her mouth, Dorothy's heart gave a lurch and she franctically checked  
her tracing device. Her face drained of blood when she only counted three dots.  
  
in another store...  
  
"Duo! DUO!"  
  
At the sound of the voice, Duo quickly turned from the drill he was admiring and dove into a  
corner. "Dorothy?"  
  
"Oh God Duo! Quatre's gone!"  
  
"Shit," Duo breathed, checking his tracing device. Sure enough, there were only three  
dots. "Okay, Duo, breathe in, breathe out," he told himself, then went back to Dorothy.   
"Dorothy, I want you out of there pronto! Get yourself in this store okay? Use the tracers!"  
  
"Okay, okay," Dorothy sobbed. "Oh my God, they got Quatre!"  
  
"Dorothy! Listen to me! You can't do anything for Quatre right now; just get your  
butt over here now!"  
  
That unpleasant exchange over, Duo hurridly found Hilde, and filled her in on what had just  
happened. Hilde's face drained of blood, just as Dorothy's had done.   
  
"Oh my God, now what do we do?"  
  
"We stick together, that's what," Duo said grimly, linking his arm through Hilde's.   
"And we wait for Dorothy. Then we stay with people and hope that when this guy comes back  
for the second round, one of us sees him and finishes him."  
  
"Duo, I am so scared!"  
  
"I understand perfectly..."  
  
It wasn't easy passing time. Both Duo and Hilde periodically checked their devices to make sure  
Dorothy was on her way. Sure enough, soon her golden haired head was visible through the mob.  
  
"Dorothy!" Hilde cried, running to embrace her, and then leading her over to the nearest  
bench.   
  
Dorothy was shaking, her face pale and her hands clenched. She was repeating "Oh my God" over  
and over again. Hilde didn't know what to do; she felt the exact same way. Glancing over to  
Duo, she could see fear in his eyes, but also blazing anger.  
  
"I can't believe the nerve of this guy," he said furiously. But at the same time, he  
was thinking, "This guy's efficient. He abducted Quatre right under our noses. Who's next?"  
  
Hilde shoved a water bottle at Dorothy. "Drink this," she ordered, but Dorothy's hand was  
shaking too much to hold the bottle. Duo in the meantime was trying to tweak with the device  
to figure out if he could activate Quatre's tracer again. Suddenly, there was static on the  
devices, and a voice floated over.  
  
"I have neutralized Quatre Raberba Winner. One down, five to go."  
  
"Neutralized?!" Dorothy gasped, her already pale fale turning paler.  
  
"He is still alive, Mrs. Winner," the voice continued. "Over and out."  
  
And that was all.  
  
"Okay, we're out of here!" Duo said firmly. "I'm tired of playing this guy's game."  
  
Hilde nodded, and helped a shaky Dorothy to her feet. "Dorothy, please be strong," Hilde urged.  
"You need to be strong if you are to help Quatre."   
  
Dorothy nodded, and, shoving aside Hilde's arm, stood up. "Alright everyone," she said in a   
weak but clear voice, "let's go."  
  
Hurrying out, the trio caught the nearest shuttle to the station, where their shuttle was  
waiting, courtesy of Quatre's incredible wealth. Hilde shoved Dorothy on the shuttle first and  
told her to sit down, then went back out to join Duo, who had hesistated at the door.  
Duo was staring into space, a glazed look on his eyes. Laying a hand on his arm, Hilde said,  
"Let's go Duo. We can't do anything..."  
  
"I know," he said dully, "But still! I feel like we let Quatre down, like-"  
  
Duo's words were cut off by the sudden ignition of their shuttle. "What?" he said, spinning  
around. Suddenly, things got chaotic. First Duo saw Dorothy pounding at the window, and the  
look on her face told him that the shuttle had started itself, and there was nothing she could  
do about it. The next glance told him that the shuttle doors were locked. Then, he heard a   
choked cry. Whirling around, he saw a cloaked figure who had a gun to Hilde's head. Duo  
reached for his own gun, but the figure said, "You have a choice. Come with me, and both you  
and your wife will be treated courteously. Or I can kill you both right here, right now.   
Either way, my objective will be completed. Your friend in there can tell your comrades what  
happened."  
  
Glowering at the speaker, Duo flung his gun to the ground, and raised his arms in surrender.  
"Good," the figure said briskly. "Now, follow me." Helpless and enraged, Duo could only  
comply, while Dorothy screamed as the shuttle lifted off.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"They got Quatre, Hilde, and Duo!" were the first words out of Dorothy's mouth after  
Zechs and Heero had broken down the door to the shuttle. Dorothy immediately collapsed,  
sobbing.  
  
Relena hurried forward. "Dorothy, you must be strong! You must try!"  
  
"That's what Hilde said before she was taken!"  
  
"Dorothy! Please! This can't be good for the baby!"  
  
At mention to the baby, Dorothy subsided, but the occasional sob still escaped her lips. Relena  
looked desperately to her husband and brother. "What now?"  
  
Heero was already at the control panel, resolutely typing. "We managed to hack our way into a  
part of their computer today, though I suspect that it was because they allowed us to.   
Whatever the case, it will give us a means of communicating with them. Ah..." he said, as a  
reply immediately popped up.  
  
"What does it say?" Zechs asked, coming over. Heero waved to the screen.  
"Mr. Winner, along with Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell, are alive." Zechs read. "That's it?!"  
  
Heero shrugged, and typed in a message.  
  
"Meet...us...so...we...can...face...you...face...to...face...? You're challenging him?"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"Challenge...accepted...will...meet...on...Earth...former...site...of...Washington...DC."  
  
"Well then," Zechs said. "I'm going this time."  
  
"So am I."  
  
"If that's the case, then I'm going too!" Relena said rising.  
  
"NO!" both Heero and Zechs shouted simultaneously.  
  
"You shouldn't go," Dorothy said weakly. "Remember, he used Hilde to force Duo into  
going with him. He'll do it again."  
  
Relena started to protest, then subsided. "Very well, I will stay here, but I'm NOT happy  
with this arrangement." With that, she turned around and left the room.  
  
Heero and Zechs glanced at each other, and Heero shrugged. "She's been...moody...recently,"  
Heero said by means of explanation.   
  
"Moody, is it?" Dorothy asked. "Don't tell me you got her pregnant again."  
  
Heero paled, and Zechs turned to him furiously.  
  
"At a time like this, you're having sex with my sister, and getting her pregnant?!" he  
bellowed, furious.  
  
Giving him a sideways glance, Heero said flatly, "Don't tell me that you, as a married man,  
aren't doing the same with Miss Noin. Though I admit, I didn't foresee getting Relena  
pregnant again."  
  
Zechs opened him mouth to protest, but closed it. Giving Heero a nasty glare, he turned to leave  
and called over his shoulder, "I'll be ready in ten minutes. Hurry up."  
  
Dorothy looked from one to the other, and shrugged helplessly. "It's just like Duo said  
earlier," she thought wearily. "Some things will never change."  
  
ten minutes later...  
  
Heero walked into the shuttle, where Zechs was already waiting. Not acknowledging him, Zechs  
simply started the engine. Just then, Relena came into view. Jumping out, Heero demanded,  
"Relena, just what are you doing?"  
  
Giving him an icy look, Relena said, "Well, since I'm not allowed to go with you, I'm going down  
to Earth on my own to get some fresh air."  
  
Heero started to protest about her going alone, then thought better of it, and went back into the  
shuttle.  
  
Zechs glanced at him. "What was that about?"  
  
"Relena's going down to Earth for some fresh air."  
  
"Alone?"  
  
"Apparently."  
  
Zechs hesitated, then sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine then, let's go."  
  
an hour later...  
  
"You didn't happen to set up a rendezvous point with this guy didn't you?" Zechs demanded.  
  
"I tried. The exact response was 'I will find you.'"  
  
Zechs snorted. "This guy is too confident."  
  
The two men wandered around aimlessly for a while, then Heero's sharp eyes spotted a figure  
standing in an alley. Motioning to Zechs, the two of them drew their weapons and walked   
towards the figure. Once in the alley, both aimed their weapons at the figure.  
  
"Stupid move," Zechs said. "You aren't even armed."  
  
The pilot didn't seem worried. "Oh, but I am." Reaching into the cloak, the pilot drew out  
a small screen. "Observe."  
  
Zechs and Heero, not putting down their weapons, inched towards the screen. On the screen was  
Relena, standing at a dock and staring moodily at the ocean.  
  
Heero stifled a roar of outrage and instead glared at the speaker. "So now what?"  
  
"Relena hasn't been harmed," the speaker remarked drolly. "She doesn't even know that she is   
being watched. However, should either of you men refuse to cooperate..."  
  
"How do we know that that is Relena?" Zechs said, hoping to call the pilot's bluff.  
  
Even cloaked, the pilot gave them what seemed to be an amused look. "Are you daring me to  
order one of my people to shoot her?"  
  
Both Heero and Zechs subsided, though Heero was planning a way to quickly shoot the figure  
fatally so he couldn't give the order to harm Relena. But the figure seemed to guess his   
thoughts, for the bland response that came from the depths of the hood was, "Oh, yes, you  
could shoot me right now, but what if I dodge the bullet? And also, the communication on this  
screen is two-way. If one of my people hears a gunshot and if I don't respond immediately, they  
have been given orders to seize her. You wouldn't want that, now would you, and not if she is  
pregnant now would you?"  
  
Both men stared. "How did they know that?" they both thought simultaneously.  
  
But the pilot had gotten impatient. "You both know the situation now. What is your choice?"   
the pilot said briskly. Glowering at the mysterious figure in front of them, both men dropped  
their weapons.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Trowa's eyes hadn't left the screen since Heero and Zechs left. As soon as the message  
appeared, he quickly read it and called Wufei over.  
  
"No need to alarm the others," he told Wufei. "What do you think?"  
  
Wufei glared at the message, wishing he could break something. Still, he forced himself to  
think rationally. "Everything that has happened so far has played right into their hands." he  
said. "He challenges us, he wins. We challenge him, he wins. What's next?"  
  
"Still, this IS unusual...a challenge to YOU, Wufei? You specifically? But then he  
adds that he wants me to come...but he won't fight me, but I'm supposed to stay out of it."  
  
"I don't know any better than you do Trowa. This pilot is asking for a real duel, and  
with me...could he be trying to humiliate me, trying to replay my duel with Treize eight years  
ago?"  
  
"Possibly. We know this guy likes to humiliate us."  
  
"But still, this is an odd request, but look here, he's wagering so much: if you emerge  
victorious, I will spare your companions...AND your suits. Why? Why is he wagering so much?  
  
"Maybe he thinks he will definitely emerge victorious."  
  
Wufei snorted. "This guy is much too confident. If my pride will be my downfall, his confidence  
will be his."  
  
"Well, do we go? It says here to bring our suits with us."  
  
Wufei shrugged fatalistically. "We have no choice."  
  
30 minutes later...  
  
"Are you sure you want to just sneak out there, without telling anyone?"  
  
"Better this way. As soon as they see the message, they'll know."  
  
Trowa shrugged, then jumped into his suit. "Wufei," he called. "Do you really want me to  
stay out of this duel? There rarely is honor in war."  
  
"Yes. Watch us over the monitor, and be ready to back me up should I fail, but do not  
interfere with the duel itself."  
  
The two remaining pilots quietly maneuvered themselves out of the station, then turned towards  
the fortress. Then a message blinked on their screens.  
  
"Go in the east entrance?" Trowa read.  
  
"May as well," Wufei said. "I have an odd feeling that our little friend did not tell  
his superiors he was inviting us over."  
  
The two altered their courses, and went in the side entrance. Sure enough, there seemed to  
be no security measures on this said whatsoever. "He's removed them all, just for us," Wufei  
thought mildly. "Maybe he does have honor after all..."  
  
As soon as the pilots entered the fortress, they saw another message: Trowa Barton and the suits  
stay here. Chang Wufei, go into the door in front of you, turn right, and then into the third  
doorway on the right in the hallway you will enter.  
  
"Is it a go?" Trowa called.  
  
Wufei nodded.  
  
"Good luck to you then."  
  
Wufei nodded, then started to run through the doorway.  
  
"Hey Wufei! Check this out," Trowa called.  
  
Turning, Wufei stared. There, in the shadows, was the Phoenix mobile suit.  
  
"What is this guy doing?!" he thought.  
  
"Should we just forget this and destroy it?"  
  
"No," Wufei said, hoping he wasn't making a mistake. "Everything that's supposed to  
happen has happened so far. I think he's trying to prove to us that he does intend to fight  
this duel with honor after all. Why else would he put his suit in the same location as ours,  
in plain sight?"  
  
Turning, Wufei entered the doorway.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
As Wufei entered the first doorway, he noticed the entrance to the fortress was closing. But  
before he could do anything, the door of the entrance he had just entered closed also. Wufei  
hesitated, then steeled himself and ran on. As soon he had entered the last doorway, that   
entrance sealed and the room lit up.   
  
"Hey Wufei!"  
  
Wufei followed the sound of the voice, and saw Duo, sitting in a cage and firmly bolted to the  
ground. He looked around and saw similar arrangement for everyone else in the room, though  
Hilde had been spared the humiliation of being bolted. Wufei noted that Zechs and Heero seemed  
to have thicker metal straps than the others.  
  
"So, have you come to rescue us, knight in shining armor?" Duo asked? "And while we're  
on the subject, what's with sword? Don't tell me you guys are having a duel? YOU ARE?!" he  
sputtered, when he saw the look on Wufei's face. "Oh please..."  
  
"Something wrong, Duo?"  
  
Everyone in the room turned towards the sound of the voice. From the shadows emerged the all  
too familiar cloaked figure.   
  
"I see nothing wrong in duels. Yes, they are somewhat archaic, but effiecient," the   
figure continued.  
  
Wufei said nothing, but he drew his sword and held it out in front of him grimly.  
  
The figure looked at him, and nodded. "Yes, you were right when you figured I did not tell my  
superiors about this. Quite perceptive, but to be expected from someone descended from the   
Changs."  
  
"Oh, so you didn't tell your superiors about this huh?" Duo jeered. "Well then, I guess  
all WE have to do is make a lot of noise and then, poof, there you go!"  
  
The figure turned to regard Duo with a disgusted look. "Make all the noise you want; these  
walls are soundproof." Turning back to Wufei, the figure continued, "Besides, Wufei wouldn't  
allow it. His sense of honor is too strong."  
  
"Can we get on with this?" Wufei demanded harshly.  
  
The figure nodded, and with one stroke, tore off the cloak.  
  
There was a gasp from Wufei, for standing in front of him was not a man, as he  
had expected, but a petite Asian girl, who was wearing a black turtleneck, a short pleated  
dark purple skirt with a matching sweater vest, and black leggings. On her feet she had on black  
shoes with no heel. Her hair was as long as Relena's, but her bangs were the same length as the  
rest of her hair, and were braided on each side.   
  
She regarded him with scorn.   
  
"Did you expect a male?" she said cooly.  
  
Wufei didn't answer; he was too shocked.  
  
Smirking, she looked at Wufei. "Yes, you are shocked," she said looking at him. "Typical  
chauvanistic Chang," she mocked.  
  
Her words jarred Wufei back into reality. "Let's begin," he said harshly.  
  
The girl squared herself and drew her own sword. Smiling coldly, she said, "Yes, let's."  
  
"Wait," he said. Half stalling, trying to discover something, anything, about  
his opponent, he asked, "What is your name?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow delicately, she said, "My name? You may call me Lillith."  
  
"Is that your real name?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"What is your REAL name?"  
  
"It is of no concern to you. You are stalling. Let's begin." 


	3. Part 3: Memories of the Past; A Shocking...

Chapter 14  
  
Wufei and Lillith circled each other warily. Wufei looked into his opponents eyes, hoping to  
detect a hint of what her first move would be. However, he saw nothing, as he had half  
expected. The girl's eyes were as dead as her voice. "Just like Heero used to be," he thought.  
  
FLASH  
  
"Come on Wufei! Hurry it up!" the voice whined.  
  
Wufei did nothing, looking scornfully at the little girl in front of him as he continued to  
circle.  
  
"Foolish child!" a voice boomed. "A true warrior does not act with haste!"  
  
The girl sulked, and in that moment, Wufei lunged. The little girl let out a yelp, but danced  
out of the way. "That was sneaky!" she pouted.  
  
"Shut...up..." Wufei said through clenched teeth. Why did he have to practice with this  
impudent child? "Because she is just as skilled as you are," a voice said in his head. "And you  
two are the same age, so she is the perfect partner."  
  
Wufei shook his head to clear himself of the voice. "Concentrate," he thought to himself.  
  
FLASH  
  
Suddenly, the girl lunged. Wufei brought up his sword and parried her blow. "She's stronger  
than she looks," he thought. The force of her blow had sent shock waves down his arm, but  
Wufei recovered quickly and leaped forward to strike.  
  
FLASH  
  
"Hee hee! You'll have to do better than that to catch me, cause I'm the ginger bread  
man!"  
  
Pausing for a moment, Wufei said scornfully, "Do you still read those pathetic nursery rhymes?"  
  
"Of course! Just like any other normal little six year would right? Why don't you?  
Oh wait, you're not normal! Ha ha!"  
  
"SILENCE!" the voice roared again. "This is a duel! You are a warrior, and warriors  
do not chant stupid little rhymes during a battle!"  
  
Turning around to glare at the speaker, the girl said, "I'm NOT a warrior! I hate fighting!  
I want to be normal! OW!" she finished as the man brought down his stick on her shoulder.  
  
"Enough of your impudence! You know very well not to speak to your elder like that!  
As for you not being a warrior, you are a member of the Chang line. It is your destiny to  
fight!"  
  
FLASH  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" the girl mocked, but not losing an ounce of concentration.  
She had met all of Wufei's blows blow for blow, and he couldn't seem to gain any  
advantage. However, he had managed to force her into a corner of the room. Raising his sword,  
he prepared to strike.  
  
FLASH  
  
"You're finished now!" Wufei said gleefully. He had finally succeeded in backing the   
girl against a tree. Relishing the look of horror on her face, he struck  
  
"What?!" he gasped. The girl was no longer there...but his sword was buried in the  
tree trunk. Suddenly, he was kicked in the back. The second kick brought him to his knees,  
and he glared up angrily at the girl who had her sword aimed at his head.  
  
"Fine, you win," he said sullenly.  
  
The girl's eyes lit up, and she started prancing around. "I wi-in! I wi-in!" she said  
gleefully. "OW!"  
  
"Do not betray your emotions on the battleground! How many times do I have to tell  
you that!"  
  
But the girl had had enough. Whirling around and clenching her fists, she said, "Why is it   
always me? Why is it when Wufei does something wrong, you never hit him! Why is it that  
whenever he does something good, he gets rewarded, while I get nothing! Is it because I'm a  
girl! Is it?! Hey!" she said furiously, dodging yet another blow.  
  
The old man's eyes bulged with rage, but she continued, "Everything is always Wufei this  
Wufei that! You just said I'm a Chang too! So why can't I get the benefits of being one!"  
  
"Wufei is destined to carry on the family name!" the old man roared. "You are just  
an impudent girl!"  
  
"Just an impudent girl?! I'M HIS TWIN SISTER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"  
  
"YOU ARE NO DAUGHTER OF MINE!" the man bellowed, his face contorted with rage. "Get  
out of my sight, now!"  
  
FLASH  
  
"What?!"  
  
The girl had dodged Wufei's blow, and the force of his sword colliding with the wall had jarred  
it from his hand. Turning around, he was certain he had failed, but the girl was just  
standing there.  
  
"Why didn't you finish me?"  
  
"It is dishonorable to kill someone while their back is turned," she said, kicking his  
sword back to him.   
  
Wufei stared at her, then picked up his sword. "I need no favors from you!" he said harshly.  
  
The girl's eyes flickered. "Very well, I'll finish this now."  
  
FLASH  
  
Wufei stared out at the rain sullenly. "Why am I so affected by this? She was just a girl, and  
a rude one at that! She was worth nothing!"  
  
But ever since his sister had run away, taking her sword with her, he hadn't been the same.  
Of course, her ludicrous action had prompted the family patriarch to claim that he would disown  
her, but in reality, he hadn't done so yet. In fact, Wufei had seen both his parents staring  
off into space in the evening, not knowing that he was watching. The absence of the happy  
girl had taken its toll on everyone. Even now, Wufei was thinking of the times when she  
would take out her erhu, an odd instrument with two strings and a bow, and climb a tree and  
start to play it, occasionally singing. Of course, she would be reprimanded for wasting time  
and not honing her fighting skills, but it was known that the sound of her playing and singing  
was enjoyed by everyone. Occasionally, Wufei would bring out his Chinese flute and play with  
her, and the twins would share a special moment.  
  
"But she's gone now..." Wufei said. "And Father and Mother can't even bear to see her  
things anymore..." Overnight, all things belonging to the girl had disappeared. After hunting  
for an entire day, Wufei had found all her belongings stashed in a box. The box was now in  
his room, hidden under his bed.  
  
Now, Wufei took out the box and ran his hands over her clothes, her erhu, her jewelry. Then,  
hesitating, Wufei removed a charm in the shape of a dragon that he wore and placed it in the box,  
and closed it. "My sister is gone," he said flatly. "I have no twin anymore..." Then, he  
collapsed over the box and started to sob.  
  
"Reiming..."  
  
FLASH  
  
The girl brought the handle of her sword into Wufei's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.   
Then she brought her blade down at his head, but he threw himself off to the side. She lunged  
after him, but he kicked her in the chest and threw her to the side. She promptly got back  
on her feet by flipping herself up, but as she did, a necklace flew out from under her vest.  
She quickly stuffed it back it, but Wufei had seen it. His face drained of color.  
  
"Was that...was that...?"  
  
The necklace Wufei had seen was the shape of a golden phoenix. Wufei thought back to his  
childhood, remembering his own charm. "The dragon...and the phoenix! Oh my God, they  
match...they match! Then that must mean..." and he tossed his sword away. "Reiming...you are  
alive...you've been alive all this time..."  
  
"Why did you throw away your weapon?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, he said in a forced voice, "You were never disowned you know."  
  
"What did he just say?!" Quatre gasped.  
  
The girl's eyes flickered in annoyance. "So...you know who I am. But that doesn't matter; I  
was banished from my parent's hearts," she said, and her voice grew tight as she continued,  
"And from the heart of my twin brother as well!" and she lunged forward.   
  
Chapter 15  
  
"WHAT?!" Quatre, Duo, Hilde, Heero, and Zechs said at the same time. "Twin  
brother!"  
  
In the cockpit of his suit, Trowa had a similar reaction. "Since when did Wufei have  
a sister?"  
  
Meanwhile, the girl continued to fight Wufei. "Stop this madness Reiming!" he shouted.  
  
"I'm no longer Reiming! As far as I'm concerned, Reiming is DEAD!"  
  
"Wufei! Protect yourself!" Heero shouted.  
  
"I don't need to," he said softly.  
  
Sure enough, the girl stopped her attack, but kept her sword aimed at Wufei's head.  
  
Hoping to talk some sense into her, Wufei said, "How can my sister be dead? How can my dear  
twin sister be dead when she is standing right in front of me?"  
  
The girl looked at him evenly. "Chang Reiming hated war. She hated fighting; she hated  
killing. But I, Lillith, have fought, have killed. My hands are too bloodstained to be  
mistaken for the pure ones of Chang Reiming. Therefore, she is dead. She died the day she left  
her home. And so therefore, we are no longer related, and I must kill you."  
  
"No," Wufei said simply. "We will always be twins. You were never banished from my  
heart, nor the heart of Father and Mother. They had too much pride to admit how hurt they  
were...as I did."  
  
"Pride!" she spat. "It was always pride! And look where that pride got them! They  
detonated the whole colony for the sake of pride!"  
  
"No! You are mistaken! They detonated the colony for the sake of peace! They   
sacrificed themselves to further the cause for world peace!"  
  
"There will never BE peace. Mariemaia Khrushrenada said so herself. History is an  
Endless Waltz. The cycle between war and peace will continue."  
  
"So why are you working to fuel this cycle?"  
  
"That is not your concern!"  
  
"YES IT IS!" Wufei cried in frustration. "I lost my twin when I was six years old! I  
lost my other half! And now, she is standing here in front of me! Of course it is my  
concern! Your pain is my pain! Don't you realize that?!"  
  
Reiming looked at Wufei for a long time. Finally, she lowered her sword and threw it away.  
  
"It doesn't matter," she said quietly. "Whether you care or not...I cannot become  
Reiming once again. Reiming was alive; she had a heart and soul. She was human. She was a  
happy little girl, a girl who loved to run on open grass, feeling the wind rushing through her  
hair. She loved nature, the trees, the flowers...But that's not me. I'm not her. I'm  
dead. I have no heart, no soul. I am not human; I am a lifeless fighting machine."   
Looking at him, she said, "And I can't fight you...Go. Take your companions with you. You've   
won."  
  
Reiming removed a control from her pocket and pressed a button. Immediately, the clamps opened  
and the doors swung open. Another button opened up the entry way.  
  
"Reiming..." Wufei said.  
  
"GO!" she snarled. "Kill me if you wish, but just leave here!" and she turned around  
and faced a wall.  
  
Heero put a hand on Wufei's shoulder. "We should go now," he said, as the rest were filing out  
of the room. Wufei nodded, and started to walk. "But not without my sister!"  
  
Reiming jerked around, her eyes wide. But it was too late; Wufei brought his hand down hard at  
the base of her neck, and she crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Hoisting her up, Wufei said,  
"Now...we can go."  
  
The group hurried down the hallway, Wufei bringing up the rear with his unconscious sister. His  
emotions were in a tangle. "Am I doing the right thing?" he thought. "Of course! She's my  
sister! Of course she'll join us!" but he couldn't be sure. As they entered the room where  
Trowa was waiting, Wufei paused in front of the Phoenix.  
  
"Heero," he called. "Can I trust you to pilot Nataku?"  
  
Heero hesitated, and stared. "You're joking...no, you're not," he said when he saw Wufei  
regarding the Phoenix thoughtfully. "Can you handle that thing?"  
  
"Do I have a choice? Reiming will never forgive me if I don't bring her suit along, and  
we can't leave this good of a weapon in the hands of the enemy."  
  
"We also don't know if she IS the enemy. Bringing along that thing will make her  
extremely dangerous. What if she doesn't join us?"  
  
"If we leave it here, the enemy will definitely use it to their advantage. But if we  
bring it with us, at least we'll be able to investigate it; find out what makes it so strong."  
And hopefully convince Reiming to join us, he thought silently.  
  
Finally, Heero nodded. "Okay then, have fun," as he turned towards the Altron.  
  
Quatre, Duo, and Hilde joined Trowa in Heavyarms, and Zechs joined Heero in Altron. Trowa and  
Heero started their suits, then turned to look at Wufei. Wufei had no clue had to pilot  
Phoenix, and he wasn't too sure if he could, but he had to try. "The configuration is  
similar..." he thought, "But I have no clue what half of these things are for. This is so  
complicated!"   
  
But fortunately for Wufei, he managed to start the thing, and the three suits left and rejoined  
the others back at the station.  
  
Chapter 16  
  
"Heero! You're safe!" Relena cried, as she hurried down to see them.  
  
"Hey, of course we're all okay. We can take care of ourselves!" Duo said wryly.  
  
"Then if that's the case, why'd you get abducted in the first place," a sobbing  
Dorothy asked as she hugged, and nearly strangled, Quatre. "I was so scared!"  
  
Noin had a similar reaction, but after welcoming Zechs, she turned her attention to the Phoenix.  
"What is that thing doing here?" she demanded.  
  
The pilots glanced at each other, then Duo waved his hand, "See for yourself," he said, as  
Wufei exited the suit, supporting a still-unconscious Reiming.  
  
Lady Une's eyes widened. "That's not...that's not...you can't be serious..."she choked.  
Duo nodded. "Say hello to the pilot of the Phoenix, Lillith aka Chang Reiming."  
  
"Chang?!" Lady Une sputtered.  
  
"Yup. From what I gathered, she's Wufei's long lost twin sis."  
  
"What is she doing here?!" Noin demanded.  
  
Duo shrugged. "Beats me. I think Wufei wants to convert her or something, you know, to our  
side, though I have my doubts." His eyes narrowed. "I've seen what she can do, and I think  
we're being idiots, letting her come here, if you ask me."  
  
"Give her a chance," a voice said quietly. Mariemaia walked into the room. "She may  
just be misguided...like I was. You gave me a chance, can't you do the same for her?"  
  
"Mariemaia..." Lady Une began. Oh, how do I say this tactfully? she thought.  
  
Tact, however, was not in Dorothy's mind. "Mariemaia, this girl is dangerous," she said flatly.  
"You weren't. This girl can wipe out all of us and not break a sweat."  
  
Mariemain however, was not daunted. "I'm sure if you just let her explain, she'll tell you  
what happened. Please, don't be too hard on her."  
  
As Wufei floated over with his burden, Trowa put his arm on his. "Wufei...you know we'll have  
to restrain her..."  
  
Wufei looked somewhat rebellious, then sighed and nodded. "You're...you're right..." he said  
wearily. "But don't hurt her."  
  
Trowa nodded, and he and Heero took Reiming from him and carried her away.  
  
60 minutes later...  
  
"She hasn't moved at all?" Wufei said curiously.  
  
Quatre shook his head. "There have been no fluctuations in brain activity either. She hasn't  
moved."  
  
Wufei shook his head. "She's faking it. I didn't hit her that hard. Let me go see her."  
  
Just when Wufei entered the room, Reiming's eyes flickered open.   
  
"Let me up," she demanded.  
  
Wufei looked sadly at her shackled arms and legs, and said, "I'm...sorry, we can't, not yet."  
  
"That wasn't a request!" she growled, and before he could do anything, she braced   
herself and tore off her arm restraints.  
  
"Reiming...?!"  
  
Quatre and Zechs dashed into the room and pulled out their guns. "Don't move," Zechs said  
in an icy voice.  
  
"That's pathetic," she said scornfully. "You won't shoot me, not with Wufei here." and  
with that, she tore off her leg restraints as well.  
  
"Reiming, stop this!" Wufei shouted.  
  
"My...name...is...LILLITH!"  
  
"No...it's...REI...MING!"  
  
"Stop patronizing me! You haven't changed at all!"  
  
"Stop being so stubborn! YOU haven't changed at all!"  
  
The two siblings glared at each other, while Zechs and Quatre looked on helplessly.  
  
"What's going on here?" Relena demanded, rushing into the room. "Oh..." she said,  
looking at the siblings.  
  
"How'd she get loose?" Lady Une demanded, running in after Relena.  
  
"Forced herself out," Zechs shrugged.  
  
Lady Une narrowed her eyes. "I don't like this," she said. "This girl's too strong, too  
powerful. She's flat out dangerous."  
  
"Oh stop it, everyone!" Relena said. Turning to Reiming, she said, "Please, pardon our  
rudeness. We had to restrain you because we weren't sure whether you were dangerous or not.  
But since that arrangement didn't work, perhaps you'd like a room of your own?"  
  
Reiming studied Relena, and finally nodded. "I thank you for your hospitality," she said, not  
sounding very thankful. "It's nice to know SOMEONE around here is courteous," she said,   
giving everyone an icy look, and swept out of the room.  
  
a few minutes later...  
  
"I hope you like it," Relena said anxiously, watching Reiming as she walked around the  
room, examining it. When Reiming nodded, Relena breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Except for one aspect."  
  
Relena jerked her head up. "What would that be?" she started to ask, but she had her answer  
soon. Systemically, Reiming began finding every camera Duo and the others had carefully  
hidden and tossed them on a rug on the floor.  
  
"Hey Relena how's...what the?!" Duo said, skidding to a halt in the doorway.  
  
"I told you I liked this room except for one aspect," Reiming called over her shoulder  
as she was in the process of dismantling another camera. "So I'm fixing that problem right  
now."  
  
The pile on the floor steadily grew as Reiming hunted out every camera, tracer, and everything  
else that would give away her presence. She was in the process of covering the mirror (it  
was doublesided) when Trowa walked in.  
  
"Trowa...she's...stop...it..." Duo managed to sputter. "She's found every single  
detection device I've put in here!"  
  
Trowa looked at Duo, then at Reiming, then the pile on the floor, and let out a chuckle. "She's  
quite a character," was all he said.  
  
"There!" Reiming said smugly, dusting her hands. "This will do quite nicely." Then,  
rolling up the rug, she presented it to Trowa. "Put them to better use," she said, then closed  
the door in their faces.  
  
"Hey!" Duo said, getting his ability to speak back. "You know, we ARE supposed to be  
watching you!"  
  
"Go ahead and try!" came the snide remark from the other side of the door. "If you'll  
excuse me now, resting on a metal table is quite uncomfortable. I'll be going to sleep now."  
  
Chapter 17  
  
"Where's Reiming?" Quatre said franctically, dashing into the kitchen and disrupting  
everyone's breakfast.  
  
Swearing, Zechs stood up. "That little bitch! Did she escape already?!"  
  
The entire group thundered down the hallway and into her room. Sure enough, the room was empty.  
  
"Great, just great!" Duo muttered. "I'll bet she's been gone for hours! What do you  
know, first day and the bird flies the coop!"  
  
"What happened to the security cameras?" Noin asked.  
  
"They showed nothing. Figures. She probably knows every trick in the book," Quatre  
said.  
  
"Did she take her suit with her?" Dorothy asked.  
  
"Well..." Quatre said sheepishly, "I haven't checked yet..."  
  
The group then headed for the hangar, and then stopped and stared. In front of them was the  
Phoenix, and flying in was a shuttle. As they watched, Reiming hopped out from the shuttle and  
walked towards them carrying several bags. She gave them a scornful glance as she passed, and  
then as she started to walk in, Wufei jumped out in front.  
  
"Where have you been?!" he demanded, half relieved, and half angry.  
  
Reiming paused and said cooly, "I needed clothes. Do you expect me to live with only one set  
of clothes?"  
  
Duo snorted. "Figures, a girl always needs clothes."  
  
"One more word, Maxwell, and I chop off that rat's tail of yours."  
  
Duo started to protest, then thought better of it. Reiming tossed her head and continued  
walking.  
  
"Snob," Dorothy muttered.  
  
Reiming said nothing, just snorted and murmured something along the lines of, look who's talking.  
  
Wufei sighed. Reiming wasn't doing anything to make her transition any easier, then again, he  
couldn't really blame her. He had, after all, knocked her over the head and dragged her here,  
more or less. But he did wish that she would make SOME effort.  
  
Later that day, Howard and his crew received an unpleasant surprise. When Howard walked up to  
touch the Phoenix, he was thrown back fifteen feet. An accusing Wufei found Reiming calmly  
cooking.  
  
"You could have said something about the shield!"  
  
Reiming continued stirring the pot of spaghetti. "Oops."  
  
"Oops?! Howard was thrown back fifteen feet!"  
  
"So he probably should have been more cautious."  
  
Wufei gave up on that point, then took a closer look at what she was doing. "Where'd you get  
the spaghetti? I didn't think we'd picked up any."  
  
"Bought it."  
  
"You know, we DO have food here."  
  
"Right. And how'm I supposed to know if it's poisoned or not?"  
  
"Poisoned?!" Wufei choked out with rage.  
  
Raiming glanced at him. "Where I'm from, a second of carelessness will cost you your life."  
  
"But...I'm...brother!" Wufei sputtered.  
  
"Fine. But I'm hardly welcome here, so how would I know whether or not the food I get  
served would be tampered with?"  
  
Wufei subsided. Reiming had obviously won that argument, and she turned back to her spaghetti.  
In an effort to reacquaint himself with his twin, Wufei said, "You know, I still have your  
belongings. Would you like to see them?"  
  
Reiming paused. "Why would I want to see the things that would tie me to a past I want to  
forget?"  
  
Wufei hesitated, then said, "Well, aren't you at least somewhat curious?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well...I'll move your things to your room today. If you ever are curious..."  
  
Reiming shrugged, then turned away. "Don't you have better things to do rather than worry about  
me?"  
  
Wufei sighed. "Fine, I'll leave, if you want."  
  
"Good."  
  
Hurt and confused, Wufei turned and left.  
  
Chapter 18  
  
"So you can't even get near the Phoenix?"  
  
"'Fraid not. That shield's something fierce. Sorry Heero," Howard said apologetically.  
  
Heero nodded, rubbing him temples, a habit that hadn't quite left him since Reiming had   
overloaded the Zero system. "Thanks anyways."  
  
As Heero walked into the living room, Relena saw the expression on her husband's face and hurried  
over. "Heero, what's wrong?"  
  
"Howard can't even get close to the Phoenix. Reiming's shield is much too strong." he  
sighed. "It's times like these that I wish Doctor J were still here; he'd know what to do."  
  
Relena thought for a moment, then said tentatively, "Heero, why don't you just ASK Reiming to  
deactivate the shield?"  
  
Heero's eyes flashed, and Relena gave up. She had known that Heero's pride would have kept him  
from doing so, but she had to try.  
  
a few hours later...  
  
"Reiming, could you deactivate the shield...please?" Heero said stiffly  
  
Reiling looked up from the book she was reading, and gave him a long searching look. Despite  
all his training, Heero squirmed a little. He hated the fact that he had to ask a favor from   
her as it was, but she certainly wasn't helping the situation.  
  
"Nobody," she said clearly, "Is touching Phoenix but me."  
  
Heero felt like breaking something.  
  
next day  
  
"What is that noise?!" Zechs bellowed.  
  
"It's...music," Noin responded carefully.  
  
"At this hour?!"  
  
Noin shrugged. So the girl liked music. So she liked playing it loudly. So Zechs hated loud  
music. So it was twelve midnight. Noin sighed. Sometimes she wondered if the girl was   
deliberately aggravating them. As she was thinking these thoughts, Zechs rose and stormed out of  
their room.  
  
"Do you have any courtesy at all?! It is midnight, people are trying to sleep, and   
you have this...this...blaring rock music on!"  
  
"Your point?" Reiming asked delicately.  
  
"Why you...you..." and Zechs reached over and turned it off.  
  
Immediately, Reiming rose and turned it back on, her eyes flashing. Zechs turned it off. She  
turned it on. He turned it off. She turned it on and kept her hand other the button, daring  
him to try and turn it off. "Beat it," she snarled.  
  
Smirking, Zechs said, "Look who's lost control now!"  
  
"At least I don't swear in front of my kids," she said cooly.  
  
Zech's eyes bulged and he lunged. "Zechs, no!" shouted Noin, who was in the doorway.  
Unfortunately for him, it was a little late. With an almost bored expression on her face, she  
took his arm, and, using his momentum, swung him into a wall.   
  
"Reiming, no!" Wufei gasped, hurrying into the room, hoping that his fiery sister didn't  
intend to take things any further, but she had clearly lost interest and fighting and was   
casually strolling back to her bed. However, Trowa suddenly showed up. Putting his hand on  
her arm, he said quietly, "Reiming, there are little children trying to sleep. Could you   
please turn it down a little?"  
  
Surprised, Reiming looked up. The two stared at each other for a while, then Reiming shrugged  
off his arm and, reaching over, flipped the music off and without a backwards glance, walked back  
to her bed. "It's late," she said. "Please leave, I'm trying to get some rest."  
  
Glowering at her and aided by Noin, Zechs limped out of the room. Trowa and Wufei followed,  
joining the others who were in the hallway, attracted by the noise. As soon as the door  
closed, Wufei turned to Trowa.  
  
"How on Earth did you manage to do that?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"You got her to listen to you! She hardly listens to me, but she listened to you!"  
  
"It's like I told you years ago. A women's heart is delicate thing. You need to treat  
it politely and with kindness."  
  
"Well, look who's the ladies man!" Duo teased. Trowa didn't say anything, but he just  
headed down the hallway. "Good night," he called over his shoulder.  
  
next day  
  
"Trowa," Heero called, "could I have a word with you?"  
  
As Trowa walked over, Heero asked him, "Trowa, do you think you could ask Reiming some  
questions about who we're fighting? So far, we have nothing, and you're the only one who's even  
been able to get close to her."  
  
Trowa didn't say anything, then sighed. "I don't know. She's...hard to approach."  
  
Heero's mouth twitched. "There's one way of putting it."  
  
a few minutes later...  
  
"Where is that girl?" Trowa thought. Reiming hadn't been in her room, and she hadn't  
been in the kitchen cooking either. She also hadn't been in the family room, reading. Trowa  
smiled wryly. That was about all he knew about the girl, and here he was, about to ask her  
some of her deepest secrets. Then he heard an odd noise coming from the garden. Walking out  
into the garden Quatre had put in for Dorothy, he saw a figure practicing martial arts.  
Deciding not to disturb her, he just watched.  
  
He had been watching for about fifteen minutes when he was joined by Mariemaia. "Good  
morning Trowa," she said quietly. Trowa acknowledged her with a nod.  
  
"She's good, isn't she?" Mariemaia said. Trowa nodded. Marimaia hesitated, then said, "You  
know Trowa, I really don't think she's evil or anything. I just think..." then trailed off,  
expecting to be laughed at. When he didn't respond, she turned to look up at him. "Trowa?"  
  
"You're probably right Mariemaia. She has a lot of secrets, that girl, and judging by  
her words during her battle with Wufei, I think she's been hurt a lot too."  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"She said that she couldn't be the twin Wufei remembered because she had been banished  
from his heart and the heart of her parents. She also said that she couldn't be his sister  
because the old Reiming had hated fighting, but she, as in Reiming now, had fought and her  
hands were bloodstained. But she didn't say that she liked fighting now either."  
  
"She thought she had been banished from Wufei's heart? How sad..."  
  
The pair watched Reiming for a little longer. "Reiming.." Trowa thought. "What is that haunted  
look that I saw in your eyes last night? I opened up eight years ago even when I thought I  
never would...will you do the same?" 


	4. Part 4: Breaking the Ice; Peace in Peril...

Chapter 19  
  
After Reiming had finished practicing, Trowa didn't feel that it was the time to approach her,  
and said so to a somewhat disgruntled Heero.  
  
"Heero...I'm sorry, but now is not the time."  
  
Heero sighed, then nodded. "Okay, thanks anyways...but try to hurry. We don't know what they  
are going to do next, now that Reiming's gone, will someone else step up to take her place?"  
  
Meanwhile, Mariemaia had begun to follow Reiming around. Something about the older girl   
fascinated her. "We are one and the same," she thought. "We were both pawns for evil...but  
why won't you help us? Surely you know that those you worked for were evil!"  
  
A few days later, as Mariemaia "happened" to be in the same room as Reiming, Reiming abruptly  
looked up from her book and said, "So, my shadow, have you been assigned to guard me?"  
  
Mariemaia felt her cheeks flush, and she buried her face in her own book that she had been  
"reading." When she dared to look up again, she was shocked to see a twinge of laughter in  
Reiming's eyes. "Well..." she mumbled. "Get it over with," her conscience said. Finally, she  
straightened her shoulders and said, "Ah...well, I...I thought that I could try to talk to you,  
since we...we are somewhat the same," she managed.  
  
"We are nothing the same, you and I."  
  
Mariemaia felt her heart sink, but then was surprised to hear Reiming continue, "No...you have a  
future...friends and family...your hands aren't bloodstained like mine." Glancing up,   
Mariemain thought she could see sadness in the girl's eyes, but it was gone abruptly. "Forget  
about it," Reiming said as she stood up and headed for the kitchen. "Now, my shadow, I'm going  
to be in the kitchen cooking. Join me if you wish."  
  
Mariemaia's eyes lit up. She supposed that that would be as close to an invitation she would  
get from Reiming, so she got up and followed.  
  
An hour later, a shocked Duo stumbled into the living room, mumbling and jabbing his finger  
towards the kitchen. When the group hurried to the kitchen, they were shocked to see a   
laughing Mariemaia cooking with Reiming, who, though she wasn't even smiling, seemed to be  
enjoying herself. However, when she saw them all congregated in the doorway, staring, her  
eyes abruptly lost that bright look they had and she glared fiercely at them all. The look  
was so cold that they all left immediately.  
  
In the kitchen, Mariemaia looked helplessly at the once again closed up Reiming. "The sauce  
should be ready in a few minutes," she said meekly. Reiming just nodded. Mareimaia sighed, then  
reached in her pocket. "Here..." she said hesistantly. "Wufei told me you that you had liked  
flowers when you were little, so..." and she tentatively held out a small bouquet of paper  
roses. Reiming stopped, and then took the present. "Thank you," she said stiffly, then turned  
around abruptly again.  
  
The next day, when Wufei was wandering around, he heard something. Not daring to believe it, he  
hurried out the the garden, and stopped. Sitting in a tree, playing the erhu, was Reiming. The  
look on her face was so peaceful that Wufei could only stop and stare. He couldn't believe that  
that was his sister, and for a moment, he saw her as a six year old again.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Wufei whirled around and saw Relena. Relena was smiling, and she  
said, "Someone who can make music like that can't be cold and lifeless, can they? I mean, just  
look at her!"  
  
"I suppose not..." and Heero walked out.  
  
"I take it you told her the conversation she and I had while we were dueling?"  
  
"Hope you don't mind."  
  
"No..."  
  
They watched Reiming a while longer, and Wufei sighed. "Reiming, why won't you open up to me?"  
he thought. "You ARE alive. The six year old Reiming is still in you...I can see her. So  
why won't you talk to me?"  
  
"You guys may want to leave," Trowa said, walking up to them. "I don't think she'll be  
very pleased to find out that you guys saw her when she was vulnerable." Relena nodded, and the  
three left. Trowa lingered a little, watching Reiming. For a moment, he saw himself in her.  
"She's like me..." he thought. "Could it be?" then he stopped, trying to ignore the shudder that  
passed through him, and quickly walked away.  
  
In the tree, Reiming opened her eyes. Though she continued playing, she watched as Trowa left.  
"Trowa Barton...I saw something in your eyes the other night...have you gone through what I  
did...?"  
  
that evening  
  
"Reiming, may I speak to you for a moment?"  
  
Reiming hesitated, then turned around to face Trowa. She studied him, then nodded. "Very well."  
  
The two walked to one of the empty hangars. Trowa watched as Reiming carefully settled herself  
on a box, first walking around it, then opening it to see what was inside. Finally, evidently  
satisfied, she sat on it. Trowa leaned against a wall. Neither said anything for a moment.  
Finally, Trowa said quietly, "I'm sure you know why I'm here...and what I'll be asking you, so  
why don't we just save time and have you answer me?"  
  
"Trowa," she said quietly. "How old were you when it happened?"  
  
Trowa jerked himself, then looked at Reiming. There was no mockery in her eyes, only pain...and  
compassion, it seemed.  
  
"What do you mean? When it first started, or the last time it happened?" he said   
somewhat sardonically. "I could fill a book with incidents for you."  
  
"When...when it first happened..."  
  
Trowa shrugged, then said, "I don't know...I don't even know my own birthday...but I guess  
sometime when I was thirteen...when I joined a new mercenary group. I was too talented for  
my own good," he finished harshly. "You?"  
  
Though her face betrayed no emotion, Reiming's fists clenched as she gripped the edges of the box  
tightly. "I suppose it would have to be when I was ten years old. They said that we would have  
to 'learn how to use our charm'" she spit out venomously. "And of course, we had to practice  
on someone, so I'm sure it was their pleasure."  
  
Ten years old...Trowa thought. That's even younger than me...  
  
"But anyways, that's in the past," Reiming said abruptly. "As for who you are facing...  
and Reiming drew out a disk from her pocket. "Here," she said, "Put this to good use."  
  
Trowa reached over to take it, and then said, "What's on this thing?"  
  
"All the data I could find on the other mobile suits and their pilots...and the Xero  
system program."  
  
"Xero system?"  
  
"An upgraded Zero system; the system Phoenix uses."  
  
"Which explains your phenomenal reaction time," Trowa said wryly.  
  
Reiming raised an eyebrow, and shrugged. "I am human...after all," she said softly, and turned  
to leave, but Trowa gripped her arm.  
  
"Yes Reiming...you are human. You are capable of being hurt...but you are also capable  
of compassion, I know you are. I see it in your eyes."  
  
She looked at him for a long time. "What gave it away?" she asked. "How did you guess what had  
happened to me?"  
  
Trowa smiled wryly. "Misery likes company, I guess. I suppose having gone through it myself, I  
could tell that you had also." It was in your eyes, he thought. "What gave it away for me?"  
  
"Your clothes, for one...but not really. More like your personality...you're not cold,  
like Heero, and you're not secretive, like Wufei. You're...passive, and plus," she added, "I  
know about the real Trowa Barton's personality, and I really wouldn't be surprised." And I saw  
it in your eyes, she thought.  
  
The two stood there for a moment, and finally, Reiming withdrew her arm. "I'm tired Trowa. I  
would like to rest now," and she turned to leave, but she paused at the doorway. "Good night,"  
she said softly, glancing over her shoulder, then left.   
  
Chapter 20  
  
"Xero system?"  
  
"That's what she said. From what I've seen...it's amazing."  
  
"Xero system," Heero mused. "Where's Reiming now?" he asked.  
  
"Supposedly in her room resting. The girl rests a lot, doesn't she?"  
  
"Probably doing something she shouldn't be, and doesn't want to tell us," Heero said  
wryly. "You know, we have almost no control over this girl. She could feeding information to,  
ah, who did you say they were?"  
  
"Meyer Himmler and Rolf Atkins. Ex-members of the Alliance, Treize wannabe's.  
Apparently they had wanted to pull a coup similar to that of Treize's, but he beat them to it, so  
instead, they have been waiting all this time, waiting for their chance."  
  
"And the suits?"  
  
"The Griffon and the Chimera. The Chimera is slow, but it has amazing defense and  
offense. The Griffon is faster, with a little less defense, but still a great offense. My guess  
is that the Phoenix could out race both of them, but it probably has the lowest defense of them  
all, but about the same offensive power as the Griffon, maybe just a little less. All three  
are made of something called X-Gundamium. It seems to be a changed version of Gundamium.   
More durable, but without adding any weight."  
  
"So the Griffon is like a balance between the Chimera and the Phoenix?"  
  
"That's my guess."  
  
"Who pilots which?"  
  
"Himmler pilots the Chimera, and Atkins the Griffon."  
  
"X-Gundamium is it? I wonder if we could create it..." Heero wondered.  
  
"Probably. Let me search a bit." Trowa tapped a few keys. "Here it is: the chemical  
structure of X-Gundamium."  
  
Heero shook his head. "Reiming has everything on here...I wonder if she was planning to leave  
them?"  
  
"She knew Wufei was her twin didn't she? She probably figured she would somehow get  
the disk to him somehow right before she left."  
  
"So why did she fight him?"  
  
Trowa shrugged. "There're things about that girl we will never know. Anyways, it is a little  
late. Let's sleep on this for an evening, and start upgrading our gundams tomorrow."  
  
next day...  
  
"No way! Trowa, you actually got her to talk to you. Wow, I'm impressed," Duo  
exclaimed as he stared at the data on the screen.  
  
"X-gundamium?" Quatre asked. "Can we create it?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Howard's already working on it. Should be done fairly quickly."  
  
"What about the Xero system?" Zechs wanted to know. "How is it different from the Zero  
system?"  
  
"It still involves integration with human brainwaves, but its a little different than  
how the Zero system works. It's not as dangerous, and you can't really overload it, like you  
can with the Zero system. Beyond that, I have no idea how it works."  
  
"Who are the other pilots?" Wufei wanted to know.  
  
"Two people known as Himmler and Atkins. Ex-members of the Alliance; wanted to pull a  
coup just like Treize, but Treize got there first. Evidently, their plot wasn't discovered, and  
they've been preparing in secret ever since. They pilot the Chimera and Griffon, respectively."  
  
"So how did Reiming get involved in this?"  
  
"That's what none of us know."  
  
Just then, Reiming walked into the room. "I see you're upgrading your gundams."  
  
"Why would you care?!" Zechs demanded. Even though she had given them all this  
information, he still didn't trust her. "So you can report that to these two?"  
  
"Zechs!" Noin said sharply, but the damage was done. Reiming looked like she had been  
slapped. "Fine," she said simply, and turned around and left.  
  
Wufei started to get up, but Heero stopped him. "Give her some time Wufei."  
  
Wufei sat, but he still felt disturbed. "Something about the look on her face wasn't right..."  
he thought privately, but sat back down.  
  
Meanwhile, Reiming was systemically packing her few belongings. As she finished, she paused,  
then removed the necklace she wore, then removed a few more disks. Wrapping the necklace around  
them, she placed them on her bed, and then she put the small bouquet of paper flowers on top.  
Then she turned around resolutely and started to walk towards the Phoenix, which had been placed  
in its private hangar due to its hazardous shield.  
  
"Goodbye..."  
  
Chapter 21  
  
"Reiming's gone!" Hilde cried, rushing in.  
  
"WHAT?!" Wufei bellowed, knocking over a chair.  
  
Sobbing, Hilde said, "I went to check on her, to see if she needed anything, and I found these,"  
and she extended the disks, necklace, and flowers.  
  
Marimaia's eyes widened, and tears started to come from her eyes. "My flowers..." she whimpered  
softly, but no one heard.  
  
Wufei could barely contain himself; he was so angry. He could only stare at the necklace that  
glittered there...a symbol of his union with his sister. But she had left that behind...  
  
"Why Reiming? Why..." he choked, then started to weep, his face in his hands. "Damn  
you...how could you be so cruel to me?"  
  
Relena in the meantime had whirled around. "Zechs, this is all your fault!" she spat angrily,  
ignoring the tears that flowed down her face. Zechs didn't deny it; only stared at the disks.  
"What have I done...?"  
  
Heero stood up. With one arm around Relena, he took the disks. "What are these?" he wondered  
and placed them in the computer. Instantly, a layout of the battleship popped up, each room  
labeled. Heero clicked a button, and the labels disappeared, and were replaced with all the  
security features and their locations. "Oh my God...she left these for us..."  
  
Taking that disk out and inserting another, he saw the ANTI ZERO program and various other  
stealth programs that the Phoenix used. Then he put in the final disk and froze.  
  
"What...what IS this?!" he could only manage with horror. On the screen were hundreds of  
faces, faces of children that had all been mysteriously missing for years. What horrified Heero  
was the bold "DECEASED" label stamped on each of them...except for one that was identified as  
"Chang Reiming."  
  
Everyone turned to face the screen. Dorothy let out a gasp. "So that's what they did...they  
kidnapped children, and picked one. The rest..." she couldn't finish. But it was all too   
clear what had happened. Reiming had labeled each with the date of death, and how they had  
died. "They...they KILLED them," Lady Une said in horror. Reaching over, she clicked another  
option. Instantly, the letters OPERATION: NATURAL SELECTION popped up. Reading it, she   
couldn't believe what she saw. The document, in a nutshell, called for the training of 200  
children. Those that didn't pass a specific test were declared "unfit" and were eliminated.  
"She...she survived all this..."  
  
This was too much for Mariemaia. Whirling around, she tore from the room, sobbing, her fist  
around the flowers. Lady Une looked after her sadly. "Mariemaia...I'm so sorry you have to go  
through this."  
  
All through this time, Trowa had just been sitting there, not saying a word. "Why is she  
affecting me so much? Even though now she's gone, what is this empty feeling inside me?" As  
he sat there pondering, he realized, "I can't believe this...I love her...but that isn't   
possible! I hardly know her!" But images of Reiming kept coming up in his mind...her half  
smiles...her playing the erhu...her practicing martial arts...her cooking...and most of all, the  
look in her eyes the first time he talked to her, and then how, a few days later, the  
compassion he saw in her eyes when he told her his deepest and darkest secret, and how she had  
looked back at him and said goodnight..."I love her," he said softly. "I love her...but it's   
too late now, because she's gone," and Trowa too began to cry.  
  
Meanwhile, Mariemaia had continued to run blindly, not caring where she was going. Almost  
unintentionally, she headed for a shuttle. Blindly setting the controls, the flowers next  
to her on the console, she headed for Earth.  
  
On the space fortress across from them, which hadn't moved for the last week, her movement was  
noted, a shuttle silently detached and followed her.  
  
Chapter 22  
  
Mariemaia landed in a secluded spot; she had no idea where she was, but she just had to sit and  
cry. After she had calmed down for a while, she looked at her surroundings. She was in a lush  
green meadow, surrounded by trees and flowers. "Reiming would have liked this place..." she  
thought, but the name was enough to cause her to cry again. As she was sobbing, a figure  
crept up behind her. Too late, Mariemaia saw the shadow in front of her, and the next thing she  
knew, she felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck, and then only darkness.  
  
an hour later...  
  
"Where's Mariemaia?" a frantic Lady Une demanded, rushing into the hangar, where the  
pilots were watching Howard upgrade their suits.  
  
"Not another one today," Quatre murmured. "What do you mean, where is she?"  
  
"She's not in her room or anyplace else, and there's a shuttle missing."  
  
"She probably needed some time to herself," Relena offered, hoping that it was true.  
"I'm sure she'll be back."  
  
"It's been an HOUR."  
  
Relena ran out of reasons.  
  
Meanwhile, Mariko was passing through the computer room. She had been confused recently; the  
arrival of the strange cold woman had thrown her off balance. Jerry had been of no help; he  
rarely had patience with her anyway. Reena had thought the mysterious woman to be exciting, but  
a sound thump from Aelis had kept her from investigating Reiming further. Mariko therefore had  
no idea what was going on. She climbed onto a chair, bored. As she was biting her nails, she  
saw something flicker onto a screen. "That's funny," she thought. "I know Mommy and Daddy have  
told me that that screen was from the bad people," not that she really had any idea of what that  
meant. But she was not the daughter of Heero and Relena for nothing. Despite her youth, the  
screen gave her a strange feeling. Jumping down from the chair, she went to find her parents.  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
"Later dear," a frazzled Relena said.  
  
Mariko tried her father.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
"Daddy's busy right now," Heero said somewhat gruffly.  
  
Exasperated, she planted her foot and said, "Daddy! I need to tell you something!"  
  
Heero cast one annoyed eye at his daughter. Though he loved his daughter, this was one of those  
times that he wished he didn't have one. Fortunately for Mariko, Noin picked her up.  
  
"Now now Heero, don't be rude to your child. What is it that you want to tell Daddy?  
Why don't you tell Auntie Lou?"  
  
"Auntie Lou, there's funny things on a screen."  
  
"What kinds of funny things?" As the mother of two, Noin had more tolerance with  
children, though she did have to admit that this was one of times she wished that she didn't  
have to play a game with her niece.  
  
"I don't know. They're on the screen that Mommy and Daddy said were from the bad  
people."  
  
Noin's eyes suddenly hardened, and Heero swung around. "Riko," he said firmly, "Are you   
telling me that there's a message on a screen?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
Swearing, Heero jumped up and hurried to the room. The others followed.  
  
The entire group dashed into the room, and stopped cold. The message on the screen was  
straight forward enough  
  
"Surrender in 24 hours, or Mariemaia Khrushrenada dies."  
  
It was signed: Veylona.  
  
Chapter 23  
  
"Oh God, Mariemaia!" Lady Une cried, nearly hysterical.  
  
In the meantime, Heero was furiously pounding into the keyboard. No match for Veylona  
popped up, and Heero was ready to punch the wall.  
  
"Hey, I know this is a bad time to be bringing this up, but check this out," Quatre  
called. "It looks like Veylona has sent the same message to the other space colonies and the  
Earth, and now these messages are pouring in."  
  
Wufei picked one up, read it, and threw it away in disgust. The messages were all about the  
same: please sacrifice Mariemaia and save us instead.  
  
"I don't believe this!" Lady Une cried. "There's no way I'm sacrificing  
Mariemaia!" and she looked around belligerently.  
  
"No one is sacrificing no one," Heero said, "but what the heck are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Hey Heero, check out this function," Trowa said. With the click of a button, the map  
Reiming had left behind changed. "It's connected with the main computer of the station. See,  
here are the security forces changing position."  
  
Unfortunately, the pictures they saw confirmed their worst fears. Himmler and Atkins were  
tripling their security, making entrance nearly impossible.  
  
"I can't believe this," Duo said, shaking his head. "How'd they accumulate this many  
resources? Look, almost no manned Taurus suits; their forces are made up almost completely of  
mobile dolls!"  
  
"Can we hack into the mobile dolls' programs and turn it against them?" Hilde asked.  
  
"No...they have far more technology than we do...Damn!" he exploded, slamming his fist  
into the console. "I've been so used to having the upper hand in technology...now I know what  
it feels likes to be on the other side..."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
On Earth, in a secluded bay, a lone figure flicked off a small monitor broadcasting the news.  
Standing up, the figure turned and headed towards a densely forested area. As the figure was  
walking, it suddenly stumbled and fell to its knees, breathing heavily and coughing. As soon as  
it got its breath back, it struggled back up and continued walking. After slowly walking,  
stopping several times to breathe, the figure emerged into a clearing, where a large mobile  
suit awaited...  
  
Reiming paused to catch her breath, and another spasm tore through her body. Gasping for air,  
she coughed for several minutes before she regained control. Finally, she steeled herself and  
jumped into the Phoenix. The giant suit blasted off into space, heading towards the space  
battleship and Mariemaia.  
  
meanwhile...  
  
Mariemaia awoke in a dark and cold space. She was completely disoriented, until she remembered  
what had happened in the clearing. Frantically, she jumped up and tried to take in her  
surroudings.  
  
"Forget it," a cold voice said.  
  
"Who's there?!"  
  
A figure emerged in the doorway. It was the figure of a wizened old man, face full of wrinkles  
and nearly bald, but the way he carried himself showed that he was in excellent physical health.  
His eyes were cold and glittery, and Mariemaia shuddered. "My name is Meyer Himmler," he  
said, introducing himself.  
  
"Why am I here?!"  
  
"You're a convenient bargaining chip. Your friends have 24 hours to completely   
surrender."  
  
"And if they don't?"  
  
The man smiled cruelly. "You die," he said simply.  
  
Mariemaia felt air rush out of her. "No..." she croaked. "They won't surrender on account of  
my life."  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, we will win. Even if they choose not to surrender to  
save your life, we will simply activate the various bombs we have planted on the Earth and the  
colonies. In the chaos that follws, we will seize control."  
  
"So you resort to bombs now is it? The loss of your prized fighter was a heavy blow  
now wasn't it?" Mariemaia mocked, trying to be brave.  
  
Her remarks had hit home, for the old man's eyes glinted. "Trying to be brave now, little  
girl?" he sneered. "The loss of Lillith has already been taken care of."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Surprising, isn't it? Yes, we've had a little back up hidden away all these years that  
not even your friend Lillith knew about...but that is none of your business." Turning around,  
Himmler prepared to leave. "Oh and by the way...you have 22 hours to live. Good day."  
  
in space...  
  
Part of Himmler's and Atkins' plans was to build a space fortress within a giant asteroid,  
thereby providing cover for several years. This fortress was so massive that there would be  
smaller satellites orbitting it. These satellites would prove to be supply stations, and  
periodically, shuttles would go over to the base and drop off supplies. It was towards one of  
these satellites that Reiming headed for. Using the stealth systems she had designed herself,  
she landed on the outermost satellite and hid the Phoenix in a crater that pocketed its  
surface. Jumping out, she paused for several minutes to regain her breath, and then  
proceeded to head over to the satellites station, where she promptly knocked out the pilot of a  
shuttle and took control. She then headed towards the station.  
  
Once on the station, Reiming landed, dropped off the supplies that it had originally been  
scheduled for, and quickly overpowered the few guards that were there. Then she pressed a   
button on a remote she carried and replaced the images the security cameras had just  
captured and changed them to the images they had captured on the last drop off by that   
shuttle. Figuring that this would give her a twenty minute window, she hurried deeper into the  
base, ignoring the spasms that tore through her body.  
  
meanwhile...  
Mariemaia lay curled miserably on the floor. "Reiming...where are you...?"  
  
at the base  
  
Lady Une had not stopped crying. Heero, Trowa, Duo, Wufei, Quatre, Zechs, and even Hilde had  
tried every alternative in trying to reprogram the mobile dolls that guarded the station.   
However, they had not been able to hack into it. Frustrated and terrified for Mariemaia, they  
continued to slave away.  
  
on the space fortress  
  
A figure noted the images the security cameras showed with interest. "So...she is here..." the  
figure mused. Smiling to herself, Veylona thought, "I'll let her reach Mariemaia...then I'll  
confront her in a space battle."  
  
elsewhere...  
  
Reiming busily typed into the computer, then finally sighed when she finally hacked into the  
security camera images. She noted the location of Mariemaia, and was about to leave when  
her eyes grew flinty. Someone had changed the images she had altered back to their original  
state. "Who...? Oh my God...could it be?" she thought. Shaking herself, she grimly headed  
towards Mariemaia, aware of the battle she was about to fight.  
  
several minutes later...  
  
Mariemaia jerked up when she heard scuffling sounds outside her door, and then the sound of   
something being dragged. Then the door was forced open. Her eyes brightened when she saw the  
figure framed in the doorway.  
  
"Reiming!" she cried joyfully. "I knew that you would come!" and she ran to embrace the  
girl. But as she hugged, she noticed something wrong. "Reiming?" she asked and she looked up.  
Was it the light, or did Reiming seem...pale? Her usually lustrous hair was dull and flat, and  
her eyes had no light in them. "Reiming, what's the matter?" Reiming didn't say anything, just  
grabbed her hand and lead her out into the hallway.  
  
Once the pair reached the shuttle again, Reiming paused to catch her breath. Ignoring  
Mariemaia's questioning eyes, she said rapidly, "Mariemaia...we have a rough ride ahead of us.  
Therefore...I'm going to inject you with something that will make you fall asleep. The level  
of intensity Phoenix will be giving off may be too much for you to handle."  
  
"What about you? What's the matter with you?"  
  
"Forget about me, okay? Let's just get you out of here."  
  
"Reiming, wait...is that blood on your hand?"  
  
Reiming ignored Mariemaia, instead, simply gave her the injection and boarded the shuttle to  
head back to the satellite.  
  
On the satellite, Reiming carried the sleeping Mariemaia onto the Phoenix and strapped herself   
in. Suddenly, the screen flickered and on it appeared the face of Atkins, a man somewhat older  
than Zechs and just as handsome, but lacking any of the kindness in his eyes.   
  
"So...look who's back...Do you honestly think you can get away from us?"  
  
Reiming didn't say anything, only turned on her sensors. Just as she expected, a large mobile  
suit was heading in her direction.  
  
Glancing at her, Atkins said coldly, "I see...you already know what is going on...well then, I  
can assure you, you will not get out of this battle alive!" and the screen flickered off.  
  
Coughing once more, and trying to ignore the blood that she coughed up, Reiming started the  
Phoenix and grimly turned to face her opponent.  
  
The mobile suit that appeared was humanoid, just like Phoenix, but instead of a bird's face, it  
had the face of a women. There were wings on its back, just like the Phoenix. In fact,   
judging from the data Reiming was receiving, it was Phoenix's equal. "But," Reiming remarked to  
herself, "The difference is that Veylona...Meilai...is not dying, like I am..." Catching  
herself, she let out a harsh laugh. "Yes, I am dying. I have...11 hours to live...Strange, it  
doesn't sound so horrible now that I've said it out loud, but it doesn't matter; I deserve to  
die." But as she said this, she couldn't help but think with regret, "It's too bad...I did miss  
my brother for all those years...and Trowa Barton..." She smiled to herself. "Just like me...  
we were so similar...I really wish I could have gotten to know him better," she said  
wistfully. "But he deserves better than me...I wonder if he'll ever find out that he and  
Cathrine..."  
  
But Reiming abruptly stopped her thoughts; the other mobile suit was almost there. "It  
doesn't matter," Reiming said grimly. "I have to get Mariemaia back alive, and then I can  
rest. I can't let Veylona stand in my way!" And with that, she and the Phoenix burst from  
the crater and started flying towards the station at top speed.  
  
"Oh, so you think you can outrace me, is it?" Veylona said, smirking. "We'll see  
about that!" and she took off after the Phoenix.  
  
The two raced for a while, but it soon became obvious that Veylona was catching up; Reiming, in  
her condition, couldn't handle Phoenix very well. Then Veylona started shooting at the  
Phoenix.  
  
on the station...  
  
"Quatre!" Dorothy cried, staring at a monitor. "Is that...is that?"  
  
"That's the Phoenix! But...who's that shooting it? It doesn't look like the Chimera  
or Griffon..."  
  
Dorothy's cries had attracted everyone, and they gathered around. "That's definitely the  
Phoenix," Wufei said grimly, "but Reiming's a much better pilot than that...what is going on?"  
  
Wufei's words were true...the Phoenix was taking a beating, and it was slowly unable to   
recover as quickly. In the cockpit, Reiming felt like collapsing, but she grit her teeth and  
kept on going. "Have...to...get...Mariemaia...back," she choked, and still ignoring the pain  
shooting through her, she continued. Meanwhile, Veylona was taking her time. "Do whatever you  
want Lillith...I've won this battle."  
  
On the station, Trowa had had enough. "She's bringing back Mariemaia, I know she is," he  
thought, "but why isn't she dodging the other suit's blasts? Something's wrong..." and   
finally, he turned around and dashed out of the room.  
  
"Trowa, where are you going?" Heero called.  
  
"I'm going to back up Reiming."  
  
"But your suit isn't finished yet!"  
  
Trowa hesitated, then turned to Heero. "Yours is."  
  
Heero looked at Trowa, and in that moment, he saw the look in Trowa's eyes. "He has feelings for  
her..." he realized slowly. Finally, he nodded.  
  
Heero wasn't the only one who realized how Trowa felt. Wufei was staring at him. "He...he  
likes my sister! But that's impossible...he hardly knows her!"  
  
But neither of them had much time to think about it, for in that moment, Phoenix took another  
hard hit, and it was clear that a few more well-placed shots would demolish it.  
  
In the cockpit, Reiming, barely conscious, had no other option. Pulling up a screen, she  
typed in the words DEFER. She quickly keyed in commands to decrease her attack power and add  
that energy to her speed. The result was that she boosted the Phoenix's speed, and the suit  
surged forward.  
  
Meanwhile, Veylona narrowed her eyes. "What just happened...? Doesn't matter, I'll just go  
full speed." And with that, her mobile suit leaped forward and started to once more catch up  
to Reiming.  
  
Trowa in the meantime was hastily jumping into the upgraded Wing gundam. "Hang on Reiming, just  
a little longer," he said grimly. Starting the suit, he headed for Reiming.  
  
Reiming, observing the rate of Veylona's suit, had no other option. Hoping that she wasn't   
making a fatal mistake, she finally deferred every ounce of power from her attack AND her  
defensive power, what little was left, to her speed. She knew that this much power would  
possibly overload her suit, but she had no choice. She was hanging on to consciousness by a  
thread; Veylona was gaining; she HAD to get Mariemaia back. Steeling herself, her suit  
sprinted towards the final stretch towards safety.  
  
"What?" Trowa wondered. "Phoenix has virtually no offensive power or defense, but a  
phenomenal speed? I didn't know it could do that..." he said admiringly. But a second glance  
at his data showed that Phoenix's engines would probably overload at this rate. "Well then,"  
he said, this is where I come in." Raising the Wing gundam's buster rifle, he began firing at  
the other mobile suit.  
  
"Another mobile suit?" Veylona wondered, at the exact time Reiming saw it. "The Wing  
gundam?" she said incredulously. "Heero?"  
  
Just then, Trowa's face flickered onto the monitor. "Let me deal with this guy," he said.   
"Get you and Mariemaia safely back."  
  
Reiming was all too glad to comply. With a final burst of speed, the Phoenix crashed into the  
hangar, finally.  
  
In space, Veylona glared at the Wing gundam with narrowed eyes. "It's been upgraded...looks  
like Reiming gave away the formulas to X-Gundamium...Well then gundam pilot, I'll be back," and  
Veylona turned around and left.  
  
Trowa turned around and headed back to his own station, anxious to find out why Reiming had  
been piloting her suit so erratically.  
  
Chapter 24  
  
The door to a very battered Phoenix opened, and a nearly dead Reiming tumbled out, holding onto  
a still sleeping Mariemaia. Lady Une hurried up and took Mariemaia from her, sobbing with  
relief.  
  
"Reiming...thank you so much...thank you!"   
  
In her haste to carry Mariemaia away, she didn't notice how weak Reiming looked, but when  
she collapsed to the floor and starting spitting blood, no one could ignore it.  
  
"Reiming!" Trowa shouted, jumping from his suit.  
  
"Reiming! What is the matter with you?!" Wufei demanded, cradling his sister in his  
arms.  
  
Turning to look at him, Reiming smiled and said weakly, "There's...there's no hiding it from you  
now...is there?"  
  
"Hiding what?!"  
  
Still shaking, Reiming croaked, "How I was poisoned?"  
  
There was a collective gasp from the group. "Poisoned?" Wufei cried.  
  
"How else do you think they kept me under control? Each day, they would slip some of the  
antidote into my food, keeping me alive. Of course, they didn't know that I knew I had been  
poisoned; they just thought I was an unusually obedient subordinate."  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"And so that's why I was rude, deliberately provoking you all. I didn't want any of you  
to be hurt when I died. And that's why I left when I did. I left before the symptoms of the  
poison could manifest themselves..."  
  
Reiming's head lolled back, and her eyes started to glaze over.  
  
"No Reiming, no! Stay with me! How much longer do you have?" Wufei cried, tears  
streaming down his face.  
  
"Just look at my watch. I've started a countdown." Smiling serenly, she said, "Don't  
try to stop it Wufei...I died all those years ago...don't try to hang on to me...I don't  
deserve to live..."  
  
"Shut up Reiming...stop it..."  
  
"I've disabled Phoenix's shield...go ahead...you can use the technology in it for your  
own benefit...Phoenix will understand..."  
  
"Reiming...it says...you have 10 hours left...what is going to happen?" Relena said.  
  
"I'll go into a coma for the last 10 hours...then during the last two hours...my  
organs will start failing one by one...it's too late to save me....don't even try...I've seen  
people die like this..." But suddenly her eyes hardened again. "One...last...thing...the  
one you are facing...Her name is Veylona, but her true name is-" but she was cut off by another  
coughing fit.  
  
"Don't talk Reiming..." Wufei continued to sob, rocking his sister back and forth.  
  
Shaking her head, Reiming said resolutely, and with the last of her strength, "...pilots...  
Seraphim...equal...Phoenix..." and her eyes started to close.  
  
During this time, Trowa had stood up and left the group. Unable to stop the tears trickling  
down his face, he pulled up the map of the station and started to search.  
  
"Trowa, what are you doing?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Looking for the place they hid the antidote."  
  
"NO!" Reiming's eyes flew open again, and she tried to sit up. Wincing in pain, she  
gasped, "You fool! Don't risk your entire mission for me!" then fell down again.  
  
Trowa ignored her, continuing his search. "Room 11B, is it?"  
  
"You bastard..." she choked. "It'll never work...that room is closely guarded...you'll  
die...don't die on my behalf...promise me that..."  
  
Walking to her, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I can't promise you that  
Reiming," he said simply.   
  
"Bastard..." she croaked, and finally collapsed. "Trowa..." she said weakly. "Your  
name...your true name..." she hesistated, almost unable to fight the lethargy that was  
spreading through her body. "Your name is..."  
  
And as she grew limp in Wufei's arms, Trowa heard her whisper,  
  
"Triton Bloom..."  
  
Chapter 25  
  
"What?" Cathrine gasped. Whirling around to face Trowa, she said accusingly, "Why  
didn't you ever TELL me that you were my little brother?!"  
  
Trowa didn't respond, only continued to stare at the still form of Reiming. "I didn't know  
I was your brother..." he managed. "In fact...what proof is there that I am?"  
  
Cathrine hurridly headed for the computer and tapped in a few keys. Soon, the computer  
printed a sheet of paper. She tore it from its slot and thrust it at Trowa.  
  
"Trowa...do these facts match...?" she said, not daring to believe that her brother,  
who she had thought had died when he was a toddler, was alive...and had been alive and in front  
of her for eight years."  
  
Trowa tore his gaze away from Reiming and scanned the sheet. "Blood type...fingerprints...it's  
a perfect match!" he said incredulously. Standing up to stare at Cathrine, he choked, "My   
God...I have a name...I have a sister!"   
  
Cathrine couldn't take it anymore and threw her arms around him. "Oh Triton...you've been alive  
all this time...I am so happy..."  
  
But when Trowa heard the name he hesitated. "No...Triton...that's not my name..." he said  
hesitantly.  
  
"Yes it is!" Cathrine sobbed. "Your name is Triton Bloom! You are my little  
brother!"  
  
"No..." Trowa said firmly. When Cathrine looked at him in shock, he tone softened.  
"Yes...I am your brother...but my name is not Triton."  
  
Staring at him, Cathrine finally nodded. "No..." she said quietly, "Your name is Trowa  
Barton...but you are still my brother!"  
  
"Yes, and nothing can change that."  
  
Smiling, tears started to flow down Cathrine's face once more, and she hugged Trowa fiercely,  
who returned the embrace. However, his gaze soon drifted over to Reiming, and he  
removed himself from Cathrine's embrace.  
  
"We have a lot of catching up to do...but first, I have some business I need to  
take care of."  
  
Cathrine hesitated, and, glancing at Reiming, nodded. "I understand," she said softly, "but  
try not to die, ok?"  
  
"I won't...I need to make sure I get back alive," he said grimly.  
  
30 minutes later...  
  
"Howard, is Heavyarms done yet?"  
  
"Just finished!" Howard said cheerfully, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Whew! That  
was hard work!"  
  
Trowa nodded. "Thank you Howard," he said. "I owe you one."  
  
Glancing at the map he had printed, Trowa prepared to enter Heavyarms.  
  
"Hold it right there!" Wufei said sharply, entering the room. He drifted over and  
came to rest next the Trowa, studying him. Trowa did nothing, only let Wufei scrutinize him.  
  
"There's something between you and my sister, isn't there?" he said accusingly.  
  
"It's not two-way," Trowa said simply. "I've simply decided that I can't stand by and  
watch Reiming die, so I'm taking action."  
  
Wufei glared at him for a moment. "I wish Nataku were done!" he thought furiously. He hated the  
fact that he was helpless to help his sister. Plus, though he wouldn't admit it, he was  
jealous of the fact that someone else liked his sister. Here he was, finally reunited with his  
twin, and suddenly, Trowa just had to show up. But he shook off the feeling, and said, "This  
is my sister's life we're dealing with," he growled. "Don't blow it," and with that, he   
turned around to return to Reiming's room.  
  
Trowa looked at Wufei for a while, then turned around and entered Heavyarms. Once inside, he  
took another look at the data he had obtained from the disks and Phoenix's logs.   
"Reiming used a shuttle from a satellite to enter," he thought. "That probably won't work  
again, but then again, they do think Reiming is dead, so..."  
  
in Reiming's room  
  
Wufei rejoined the others, who had gathered around the still form of Reiming lying in a bed.  
Mariemaia, who had regained consciousness, had not moved from Reiming's side, her eyes never  
leaving her face. When she had first learned of what had happened to her, she had not stopped  
sobbing for ten minutes. Afterwards, however, when she found out that Trowa was leaving to  
attempt to steal the antidote, she calmed down and stationed herself by Reiming's bedside.  
Periodically, her eyes would flicker to the clock mounted on the wall, which showed how much  
time they had left. "Nine hours..." she thought dully. "Come on Reiming...hang in there!"  
  
in the computer room  
  
The other gundam pilots, minus Trowa and Wufei, had there eyes glued to the monitor. Trowa  
had agreed to plant a tracer on himself and Heavyarms, so if it seemed like he had trouble,  
Heero would fly out to back him up. Heero had originally planned on going with Trowa, but  
Trowa had stopped him, saying that this job was for one person only. Now, they watched as  
the blinking dot moved towards the fortress. There it stopped, paused, and then...turned  
around. "What?" Duo said. "He's coming back?"  
  
Sure enough, Trowa came back. As the other pilots ran out to hear his explanation, he said  
simply, "The security is too tight."  
  
"So now what?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Heero, I won't be taking Heavyarms. Instead, I need you to go and attack the base.  
Someone else will help you by piloting Heavyarms. In the chaos, one of you will drop me  
off, and I'll go in on foot. The majority of their defense is made up of mobile dolls; once  
inside, they rely on a few guards and cameras.  
  
"I'll pilot Heavyarms," The pilots turned and saw Wufei, who had come back. "This is  
my sister we're dealing with; I need to do something!"  
  
Trowa nodded. "Fine," he said, "Wufei, you provide most of the diversion. Heero will swoop in  
close and drop me off inside."  
  
A few minutes later, the two suits headed towards the base. "Don't forget to pretend that  
we're supposed to be on a 'revenge' mission," Wufei called. "We need to pretend that Reiming is  
already dead, and that we're attacking the station out of spite."  
  
on the station  
  
"What are they doing?" Himmler said, staring at the screen.  
  
"They're up to something," Atkins agreed, looking at the screen with narrowed eyes.  
Suddenly, a supposedly grief stricken Wufei appeared on the screen. "You killed my sister!"  
he cried in what he hoped would be a convincing voice.  
  
"She had it coming. Shows what we do to traitors," Himmler said coldly.  
  
"You'll pay!"  
  
"Stop posturing," a voice said. In the doorway was Veylona. "Lillith wouldn't die that  
easily."  
  
Though Wufei's face betrayed no emotion, he mentally kicked himself. "Of course," he thought.  
"Reiming still has 9 hours to live," but then he quickly recovered and said, "What are you  
saying? What do you think killed her? She fell out of her mobile suit and died almost  
instantly after her battle with you!"  
  
Atkins frowned. "So Reiming didn't know that she had been poisoned," he thought. "She didn't  
die from the poison then...She is stronger than I thought. The poison probably didn't even  
get a chance to affect her..."  
  
Veylona was thinking the same. "So...they didn't know she had been poisoned...they think she  
died from her fight with me...but surely they knew that she was capable of doing much better in  
the battle she fought with me! No," she corrected herself, "They probably thought that the  
reason she did so poorly was because she wasn't willing to risk Mariemaia."  
  
In Heavyarms, Wufei breathed a mental sigh of relief. "They bought it," he thought. Then his  
eyes grew flinty again. "This is for Reiming!" and he started firing on the station.   
  
"Send out the mobile dolls!" Himmler ordered. "Blast him out of the sky! What?" he  
said, as the Wing gundam appeared on the screen. "I'm helping my friend in his attack on your  
station," Heero said tonelessly.   
  
"Well, at least you're loyal to each other," Veylona said coldly, then turning around,  
said, "Forget the mobile dolls. I'll go."  
  
"This will make things more difficult," Heero thought. "With Seraphim out there, she may see  
me go unusually close to their base. Wufei," he said. "Make sure to provide excellent cover  
for me. It won't be easy getting Trowa in there, not with Seraphim."  
  
"Roger that," Wufei said, and began firing with his Dragon Fang. Heero immediately  
flew up close to the station. "Trowa," he said. "I'm going to linger here pretending that  
I'm attacking from closeup. Hurry and jump before the Seraphim comes out and sees you, but  
don't go in until you see the Seraphim, or there's a chance she might see you."  
  
"Roger," Trowa said, and propelled himself towards the station...just as Seraphim  
flew out. Heero swore under his breath, and immediately engaged the Seraphim in close  
combat with his beam saber. The diversion worked; in an effort to draw her own saber, Veylona  
didn't see the small suited figure that dove in between them and entered the base.   
  
Wufei flew in to aid Heero, and the two fought Seraphim for a while. "This girl's just as  
good as Reiming," he thought grimly, then purposely allowed himself to get hit. "Bitch!" he  
shouted, pretending to be angry, "you haven't seen the last of me!" and immediately started  
heading back to their own station. Heero followed.  
  
Once they were a safe distance away, Heero asked, "Do you think it will work?"  
  
"It had better," Wufei said grimly, "Or Trowa better hope that he doesn't come back  
at all, because I will hold him responsible for my sister's death."  
  
"Huh," was all Heero said.  
  
On the station, Trowa quickly crept towards room 11B, then stopped and stared. The hallway  
leading towards it was laced with infrared sensors. But before he could do anything, he  
heard voices, and he ducked into a corner.  
  
"Are you sure you want to deactivate all the security features?"  
  
"Go ahead. With Reiming dead, no one will be coming here; it's useless to stand   
guard here now."  
  
"What about Veylona?"  
  
"Don't worry about her...she is as strong and skilled as Reiming was...but she is  
definitely more naive. She thinks that we are unwilling to compromise her, but she   
doesn't know about the atomic bombs we've planted. She won't come here, because she thinks  
she is safe."  
  
Trowa did not believe his good luck, until, as he watched, the infrared sensors disappeared.  
He continued down the hallway, passing several deactivated cameras, pressor sensors, and  
compartments full of tear gas and other means of stopping an intruder. He reached the room  
easily, took what he needed, and quickly slipped out again. Then, just as Reiming had done, he  
hijacked a supply shuttle and took off towards the base.  
  
Chapter 26  
  
"You're back!" Mariemaia cried, as Trowa walked into the room. "Is that the antidote?"  
  
Trowa nodded. "This will keep her alive for another week or so," he said, "But we still need  
to develop a permanent cure. I managed to find the chemical structure for the poison, so since  
we have the time now, we should be able to cure Reiming no problem."  
  
And with that, Trowa quickly poured the fluid into the IV bag that was currently dripping  
sugar water into Reiming's veins. "That should do it."  
  
Wufei stood up. "Thank you," he said quietly, not really knowing what else to say.  
  
Trowa understood. Nodding, he left the room.  
  
elsewhere...  
  
"This is it?" Lady Une asked, regarding the mass of numbers and diagrams.  
  
"Can you develop an antidote?" Trowa asked.   
  
Lady Une hesitated. "I'm no doctor..." she said, "But I did have some experience in  
biological warfare...maybe I can apply that knowledge here. You said we do have a week, right?  
Good, that should be enough."  
  
a few days later...  
  
"How is Reiming doing?" Duo asked, walking into the room.  
  
"Still unconscious," Hilde replied, "But most definitely alive. None of her organs have  
failed, but she's still in a coma."  
  
"Huh," Duo said. "Well anyways, Lady Une says she thinks she has an antidote. Want to  
try it now Wufei?"  
  
Wufei nodded.  
  
"Well then," Duo said, rubbing his hands together, "shall we try to reawaken our  
little Sleeping Beauty then?"  
  
a few hours later...  
  
Reiming's eyes flickered, then opened. "Ugh...what happened?" she groaned. Before she had an  
answer, a blurry figure hurled towards her.  
  
"You're okay, you're okay!"  
  
"Wha-?! Huh? What's going on?"  
  
Sobbing, Mariemaia looked up. "You're alive!"  
  
"I am?" Reiming said, completely disoriented. "What the heck is going on?"  
  
Duo snorted in an effort to contain his laughter. "Looks like we've finally stumped you!" he  
said gleefully. "I can't believe you're speechless...OW!" he said as Hilde, Dorothy, and Relena  
yanked his braid and Wufei gave him a nasty look.  
  
"Reiming...I..." Wufei stammered.  
  
"I...I'm supposed to be dead..."  
  
"But you're not!" Wufei finished, and started to cry.  
  
Reiming stared at him for a moment, and then, her own eyes, glistening, placed a hand on his  
shoulders. "You're right...I'm not..." and she started to cry.  
  
The two siblings sat there for a moment, but suddenly, Reiming's eyes grew flinty. "Trowa  
Barton!" she barked. "Come here...now!"  
  
Trowa stood up and walked towards the bed to an apparently angry Reiming.  
  
"Trowa," she began, her eyes flashing, "You are pathetic, weak, spineless...you don't  
deserve to be a gundam pilot!"  
  
Trowa just stood there, taking the abuse.  
  
"You risked your ENTIRE mission, AND the lives of millions along with the future of  
mankind. How could you have been so SELFISH?!"  
  
Trowa looked at her.  
  
Glaring, and trying to maintain a straight face, Reiming said furiously, "You're useless, that's  
what you are, and-Oh stop that...Stop looking at me like that! Hey!" and she burst out  
laughing.  
  
Everyone stared. "She's...she's...laughing..." an incredulous Zechs said. "I don't  
believe this!"  
  
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Reiming reached out and took Trowa's hand, "And I thank you,"  
she said simply. "Thank you..."  
  
At that moment, Wufei could see that Trowa was wrong. "Trowa...this relationship IS two-way,"  
he thought. "Reiming...she has feelings for you too...Do you see that now?"  
  
And Trowa did. Looking into her sparkling eyes, he leaned down, took her face in his hands, and  
kissed her.  
  
Everyone just stared. Duo, his eyes bulging, turned around and muttered, "Now I've seen it  
all...I've seen space battles, exploding colonies, and now this! This completely blows my  
mind...OW!" he said, as Hilde "accidentally" trod on his toe. Hilde just laughed, and, taking  
a firm grip on Duo's braid, led him out of the room. Everyone else did the same, but Wufei  
paused in the doorway. "Take care of my sister," he said quietly. Looking up, Trowa nodded.  
"I will."  
  
"Hey!" Reiming said furiously, "I don't NEED to be TAKEN CARE of!" she spat, sounding  
more like her normal self. Both Wufei and Trowa laughed, while she glared at them  
fiercely. "Patronizing males..." she muttered. "They're all the same...well, maybe not," she  
thought, looking at Trowa. "Maybe not..." 


	5. Part 5: The Truth Revealed; Another Surp...

Chapter 27  
  
"They called it Operation Natural Selection," Reiming began.  
  
The entire group had gathered in her room, where Reiming was resting in bed. Even though her  
life was no longer in danger, the poison has worked well: she had lost much weight and was  
still weak."  
  
"The idea was to abduct 200 children that seemed to have potential, but to do so so that  
it wouldn't be discovered. Therefore, much time was spent faking deaths, and much time was  
spent searching the streets for potential. And...of the two hundred children...they tried to  
find children that would possibly have links to the candidates that would eventually become the  
gundam pilots."  
  
"They knew about Operation Meteor?" Quatre asked.  
  
"They had a vague idea. Both Himmler and Atkins were very powerful men in high  
positions...once they found out about it, they immediately began planning. So...when they  
found me...after I had just run away...once they realized who I was, they took me also."  
  
Sitting next to her, Trowa gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.  
  
Steeling herself, Reiming continued, "The first hundred children were eliminated without  
difficulty. They simply had no potential at all. However, once it came down to the final  
hundred..." taking a deep breath, Reiming continued, "It...it became a fight for survival. The  
remaining hundred quickly realized that only the strong would survive, and we all soon  
resorted to any means possible to survive...we practically became animals," she finished,  
hanging her head in shame. "I still remember...the first time I..." and she couldn't continue.  
  
Letting her regain her composure, Heero waited until she was ready before he asked the  
question. "Reiming, we need to know...who is Veylona?"  
  
Hesitating, Reiming said, "Wufei...I need to speak to you alone for a minute."  
  
Wufei looked surprised, but nodded. The rest of the group stood up and left.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, as soon as they were alone.  
  
Gripping her bed sheets, Reiming said, "Wufei...I know the identity of Veylona...she is  
linked to you...like I am."  
  
Wufei was surprised, but he didn't say anything. "Go on."  
  
"I...I didn't want to say her name without your permission...because though you never  
knew her directly...she was the sister to someone you knew...knew...quite well."  
  
"Just tell me who she is."  
  
"Her name is Meilai."  
  
When Wufei didn't say anything, she continued, "Her full name is Meilai...Ron. Her name is  
Ron Meilai." As soon as she finished, Reiming quickly looked to see how Wufei took the news.  
  
Wufei had frozen in shock. "No..." he croaked. "She can't be..."  
  
"Wufei...she is Meiran's younger sister. She supposedly died when she fell off a cliff  
and into a stream several years ago, when she was a child...I'm sorry, Brother..."  
  
"No..." he said, shaking his head. "NO!"  
  
Reiming looked at her brother with pity. "Why me..." he moaned. "Why must I be the one to be  
haunted with ghosts from the past? Why?"  
  
"Heero knew no one from his past...he only had his father for company. It wasn't  
predicted that someone like Quatre would become a pilot. Quite a few of Duo's friends were  
taken, but they didn't make it. Trowa...well, it was hard enough to find out his real name,  
but there were several of the real Trowa Barton's relatives that were taken. You were the only   
one with a past...and they took advantage of that..."  
  
Wufei had stopped shaking his head; he only sat there now, in a dumb stupor. "Wufei...is it  
okay if I tell the other pilots?"  
  
Wufei shrugged. "Why not?" he said dully, his face blank. "They deserve to know."  
  
Reiming bit her lip as she looked at her brother, then nodded. Calling the others back in, she  
said simply, "Veylona's true name is Ron Meilai."  
  
"Ron?" Heero thought. Casting a look at Wufei's poker face, he knew, "So, she is  
related to Wufei's late wife."  
  
"I predict that the Seraphim is designed nearly identical to the Phoenix. Our  
mobile suits were made to fit our personalities and fighting styles. Meilai and I, we have  
very similar fighting styles and natures, so it is safe to assume that despite the different  
appearances, our suits are about the same."  
  
"Why didn't you know Meilai had survived?" Duo asked. "And why is it that you know  
her real name, while she doesn't know yours?"  
  
"Meilai was too trusting...too naive...She willingly told me her true name, while I told  
her a name I fabricated. And...I didn't know she had survived because...because..." Reiming  
hesitated, unable to speak. Trowa squeezed her hand again, and Reiming cleared her throat.  
"I didn't know Meilai had survived because I was too confident, because I was the one who  
arranged for her death," she said flatly. Ignoring the horrified looks on the others' faces, she  
continued, "Meilai and I had formed a temporary alliance...we helped each other eliminate  
competition, and we protected each other when possible. Despite the situation we were in, we  
became friends...we were inseparable, and therefore, we survived. Finally, it was down to the   
two of us. Himmler and Atkins didn't want alliances; they were afraid that should we ever get   
ideas of our own, we could overpower them, so they were going to force us to fight each other to   
the death. I managed to find out about this duel ahead of time, so I prepared a poison and   
slipped it into Meilai's food...I knew that she was as skilled as I was, and that there was a  
chance that she would defeat me...and I was too much of a coward to fight her...I didn't want to  
have to kill her...I didn't want to look in her eyes and then kill her, so I decided to eliminate  
her in the cleanest way possible. So, when we were supposed to battle, Meilai collapsed. I   
thought she was dead, but evidently now, I know she wasn't. Himmler and Atkins must have   
carried her away and revived her, then hid her away from me, knowing that if I ever rebelled,   
they would use Meilai and her thirst for revenge against me."  
  
Reiming finally finished her story, and then looked down at her hands. "I'm not proud of what I  
did...I deserve to die, I know I do. I'm a horrible person..." she trailed off.  
  
Shaking off the shock of what she had just heard, Relena put her hand on her shoulder. "We  
understand...Don't worry about it. You did what probably most of us would have done had we  
been in your position."  
  
"That's no excuse," Reiming said flatly, shaking her head. "Quatre said it himself,  
life is the most precious thing in this universe, and I took several lives for the sake of my  
own...I really deserve to die, and I really deserve to be killed by Meilai."  
  
Shaking his head, Trowa said, "Stop it Reiming. You'll drive yourself crazy."  
  
But Reiming ignored him, just continued looking at her hands. "My hands...they are so  
bloodstained..."  
  
Suddenly, Dorothy moved. Swiftly going to Reiming's bedside, she raised her hand and slapped  
Reiming hard across the face.  
  
"Dorothy!" Quatre gasped.  
  
"Now you listen to me, Chang Reiming," Dorothy began sharply. "Stop this nonsense about  
you deserving to die. You think you're the only one who has ever taken a life in cold  
blood? Nearly everyone in this room has. Why, even Relena was willing to shoot Lady Une here  
for killing her father. Okay, I admit it, your hands ARE bloodstained, but instead of  
staring at them and moaning and groaning about how you're horrible and how you deserve to die,  
which, may I add, is pure bull, you should focus on how to atone for your sins, and dying is  
not the answer!"  
  
During Dorothy's tirade, Reiming had sat there dumbly, one hand to her cheek. After Dorothy had  
finally finished, Reiming still sat there, staring. Suddenly, she smiled and let out a wry  
chuckle.   
  
"Thank you Dorothy. I needed that."  
  
Dorothy was gracious in victory. "Any time," she said sweetly.  
  
This caused everyone in the room to smile. "But now, to more important news," Reiming said.  
"Evidently, Himmler and Atkins have planted several atomic bombs in strategic locations. We'll   
need to find out where they are and disable them, not to mention there is still Meilai to deal   
with, along with Himmler and Atkins."  
  
"What I don't understand," Noin began, "Is why Himmler and Atkins haven't fought us.  
They have two immensely powerful suits, yet, we haven't seen them at all! Why is that?"  
  
"They hate gettting their hands dirty," Reiming said in a disgusted voice. "Typical  
aristocrats."  
  
"Hey," said Zechs, mildly annoyed.  
  
"Sorry, you're the exception."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"So what do you think we should do? I mean, do you have any ideas on how to disable the  
bombs?" asked Lady Une.  
  
"Unfortunately, the program I had given you, the one that hacked into their main  
computer, no longer works. Meilai probably discovered it and changed it. She is," Reiming  
added, "as good with computer programs as I am."  
  
"So now what?"  
  
Reiming hesitated. "Well, one thing we do need to do is design a program similar to that of the  
ANTI ZERO, only it will target the Xero program instead. That will take care of the other  
mobile suits."  
  
"But we disabled it before it had too much of an effect," Wufei said.  
  
"That's why it needs to be designed so it CAN'T be disabled," Reiming said grimly.  
  
"Do you mean...you mean...you're going to cause a brain aneurysm, is that right?"  
Relena said, turning pale.  
  
"There's no other alternative," Reiming said dully. "In a face to face combat, I have  
no idea who will come up on top. Himmler and Atkins are both excellent pilots. But as for  
Meilai," she continued, then hesitated.  
  
"What?" asked Quatre.  
  
"I will face her myself."  
  
"NO!" shouted everyone in the room.  
  
"There is NO WAY that you are going to throw your life away!" Wufei snarled. "I know  
what you're going to do. You're going to walk up to her and tell her to kill you, and then  
she will do so with pleasure. Forget it," he finished. "You are NOT going."  
  
"Try and stop me."  
  
"I will, thank you very much!"  
  
"Wufei, when will you get it through your head that, despite the fact that you are ten  
minutes older than I am, you can't tell me what to do?"  
  
"Let's deal with your suicide mission later," Duo interrupted. "But now, what about the  
bombs?"  
  
"It will be nearly impossible to sneak into their station now. By now, they will have  
discovered how Trowa stole the antidote formulas, and they'll know that I'm still alive. Also,  
after the first time I managed to get in, they will completely rearrange security, so then I  
won't be able to help you. However...unless we go to each of the bomb locations and disable   
them, which is impossible, we will have to board their station. There is no other way."  
  
"Can you access their computer from here?" Hilde asked.  
  
"Wish I could," Reiming said ruefully. "They know that we know about the bombs, and will  
be monitoring their computer 24 hours a day. At the first sign of hacking, they may detonate  
the bombs. This is where Meilai comes in."  
  
"Now what?" Wufei asked sharply. "I don't want you dealing with her!"  
  
"Relax...in order to succeed, both Meilai and I need to be alive for as long as  
possible. As long as I'M alive, Meilai will not allow them to detonate the bombs, because she  
will want to face me in a battle first. After the battle, however, we're out of luck, because  
if I die, Meilai will care less whether they detonate the bombs or not; for all I know, she'd  
probably kill herself."  
  
"Why is that?" Noin asked.  
  
"Both Meilai and I were raised to have a strong sense of honor. She too cannot sleep  
well at night, knowing that she has already killed so many people. Once she has her  
revenge on me, she will have no more reason to live. By taking her own life, she will be  
free from her own conscience AND the control of Himmler and Atkins."  
  
"So they have underestimated her," Trowa mused.  
  
Reiming turned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Himmler and Atkins deactivated the security measures to room 11B only because they  
thought you were dead. They didn't think Meilai would try to steal the information because  
they thought she thought she was not expendable. However...now it sounds like she doesn't  
care for her life very much, like Himmler and Atkins think she does."  
  
"Could be..." Then, if that's the case...Reiming thought...Maybe, just maybe, before  
I die, I can convince her to help...But she didn't say anything. Wufei would hate the idea,  
she thought.  
  
"So we still need to sneak onboard, is that right?" Heero asked. Reiming nodded.  
"Well then," he said, "Let's start planning."  
  
Chapter 28  
  
As she headed towards the kitchen to pick a snack, Reiming decided to stop in the hangar  
to see how Howard was faring with Phoenix.  
  
"Hey there Reiming! Coming to see if we've completely torn apart your suit?" Howard  
called out jovially in greeting.  
  
"Hello, Howard," Reiming said. "I came to see how you were doing."  
  
"Pretty good, thanks! Your mobile suit is full of amazing technology," he said  
admirably, reaching up to pat the suit. "Hehe, won't throw me into a wall again now will you?"  
  
"Phoenix threw you against the wall?"  
  
"Yeah...probably woulda gone flying even further if that wall hadn't been there."  
Reaching up to rub his head, he winced, "Ow...still hurts just to think about it!"  
  
Reiming's mouth twitched. "Well then, I need to check something in Phoenix's cockpit right now,  
okay if I go in?"  
  
"Yeah sure, go ahead."  
  
Nodding her thanks, Reiming floated inside. As she had half expected, an encrypted message  
had been sent. Scanning it quickly, Reiming deleted the message. "Thanks Howard," she called  
as she left.  
  
an hour later...  
  
"You're going to fight, aren't you?" an accusing voice said.  
  
Surprised, Reiming looked down from her perch in the tree. "Mariemaia?"  
  
The fifteen year old glared up indignantly at her. "I know that look...you're going to meet  
her somewhere and then you're going to let her kill you, aren't you?" When Reiming didn't say  
anything, Mariemaia's voice rose to a franctic pitch. "Answer me!"  
  
Leaping agilely from the tree, Reiming looked at her. "Yes...I am going to go fight her, and  
I will be going soon."  
  
"Why?!"  
  
"Trust me on this one Mariemaia...It's for the best."  
  
"How is your dying going to help?!"  
  
"Mariemaia...do you think someone like me would die in vain? No...I have a plan...and  
it just may require my death to work."  
  
30 minutes later...  
  
"Going so soon?"  
  
Reiming stopped and rolled her eyes. "Why is it so fucking hard to die?!" she muttered to   
herself. Turning around, she saw Trowa, leaning against the wall. He had been hidden in the  
shadows, and she had not seen him. "Yes...I'm leaving...and don't think you can pull a Wufei  
on me and try to order me not to go."  
  
Straightening, Trowa looked at her straight in the eye. Reiming squirmed a little, then stood  
up straight and returned his stare. "And that look of yours isn't going to work either."  
  
Trowa's mouth twitched. Though his face betrayed no emotion, inside, he was crying. "How  
many times must I lose you?" he thought. Finally, he nodded, and said, "I can't stop you...so  
just try to remember this," and leaning over, he kissed her.   
  
Though she was surprised, Reiming threw her arms around him and kissed him back for all she  
was worth. As she felt Trowa run his fingers through her hair, she half-thought, Maybe I  
shouldn't go after all...But she shook off that feeling and removed herself from his arms.  
"I have to go now...Goodbye." and she turned and left. As she walked down the hall, she  
murmured, "Aishiteru, Trowa Barton. I love you."  
  
At his end of the hall, Trowa said quietly, "Aishiteru, Chang Reiming..." After she was gone,  
he reached in his pocket and pulled a small electronic device. A dot appeared on the screen,  
blinking. Trowa smiled to himself. "Thank you Mariemaia," he thought, grateful that the  
girl had come to him, begging him to stop Reiming from going on her suicide mission, and he  
was grateful that he had managed to catch up to her in time and work a tracer into one of her  
braids. Putting the device back his pocket, he started to walk to the hangar, ready to board  
Heavyarms and follow her.  
  
Chapter 29  
  
Reiming flew resolutely towards the arranged point, unaware that Trowa was following  
her; she was too focused to pay attention to anything else but her goal. Soon, she arrived at  
the spot: a wide grassy plain somewhere in what was formerly known as China. She noted her  
surroundings with interest; she had never been in the country of her ethnicity before. "It  
was too bad the Changs were forced into outer space," she thought. "I would have liked to live  
here."  
  
Settling down to wait on the grass, Reiming ran her hand through her hair, then froze. Her  
fingers wrapped around a small metal object in her hair, and she removed it. "Huh," she said.  
"Clever Trowa, very clever of you," she muttered. "I underestimated you. Well then, it's too  
late to change the spot; I wonder where you are hiding?" But no matter where she looked, she  
couldn't see Heavyarms. Glancing at some boulders about four hundred feet away, she said, "I  
guess that's where Heavyarms is...but where are you?"  
  
Trowa was in fact in Heavyarm's cockpit, peering out at Reiming through binoculars. "She  
found the tracer," he said. "At least she didn't find it until I arrived." Trowa then stopped  
looking at Reiming and instead started scanning the sky.  
  
Reiming was doing the same. Finally, after about ten minutes, she spotted a glimmer in the  
sky. "She's here...finally," Reiming muttered. Standing up, she waited for Meilai to arrive.  
  
"It's a good thing Howard installed Reiming's stealth program," Trowa thought. Up close, the  
Seraphim impressed him. It was as massive as the Phoenix, and it seemed to give off an aura of  
power. "Another very impressive suit." Then, Trowa jumped from his suit, and, crawling on his   
elbows and hiding in the tall grasses, headed for the two girls.  
  
Meilai flew in close and landed next to the Phoenix. "You're late," Reiming said in greeting.  
"You were never late before."  
  
"Things change," was Meilai's reply, jumping down gracefully from her suit. Landing, she flipped  
up her hair and focused her gaze on Reiming.  
  
"She hasn't changed in appearance," Reiming thought, looking at the Asian girl in front  
of her. Meilai wore traditional Chinese clothes, with pale blue slacks and a matching top.  
The collar was high, and buttons went from the collar down across the top of her chest and  
towards the left at a 45 degree angle. The buttons were made of knotted dark blue fabric, and  
there were flowers stitched on her shirt and the bottoms of her pants. She had a petite figure  
and her eyes were large, just as her sister's had been, but dead, like Heero's used to be. Her   
hair was also similar to that of her sister's, pulled into two pigtails, but her pigtails were   
braided, then looped, similar to how Lady Une had used to wear her hair, only the loops were   
larger and higher.   
  
"Your appearance hasn't changed though."  
  
"Neither has yours," Meilai said coldly. "But your personality has changed. Before,  
you were too much of a coward to face me in a battle, but now you are willing."  
  
"Yes...I was a coward Meilai...I admit that."  
  
"Meilai, is it? And I suppose you've started using your real name again also, which,  
may I add, you never told me; one more way you took advantage of me."  
  
Reiming laughed a bitter laugh. "Yes...I am using my real name again...and you are right, I  
took advantage of you."  
  
Meilai's eyes narrowed. "What are you up to Lillith?" she demanded.  
  
"I came here to offer you a deal." Ignoring Meilai's derisive snort, she continued,  
"Meilai, I know the only reason you live is that you want to have your revenge. But I also  
know that you despise Himmler and Atkins as much as I do. I refuse to believe that you are  
cold and heartless enough to let them take millions of lives." When Meilai didn't respond, she  
said, "Meilai, Himmler and Atkins have planted several atomic bombs on Earth and the colonies."  
  
Meilai's eyes widened, but she kept her composure. "Your point?"  
  
"The Gundam pilots are franctically trying to disable the bombs, but they can't hack  
into the main computer. They can't even discover the locations of the bombs...but you can.  
Even if you can't disable the bombs from the station, you can certainly discover their   
locations. So this is my proposal. Kill me, right here, right now, but swear to me that you  
will save the lives of millions by helping the pilots. Swear it to me, on your honor."  
  
"And if I kill you, and don't keep my part in the deal?"  
  
Reiming smiled ruefully. "Meilai...as much as you may not want to admit it, you and I, we are  
remarkably similar. Our suits are even nearly identical. I know, that like I, you possess a  
great sense of honor. You will not swear that you will do something, then not do it."  
  
"What if I don't promise you at all?"  
  
"I don't think you won't...but even if you don't, kill me anyway. It is your right."  
And with that, Reiming closed her eyes. "Go ahead...kill me."  
  
Meilai stared for a moment, then asked abruptly, "One more thing, before I kill you...what IS  
your name?"  
  
Opening her eyes, Reiming said, "You are not going to appreciate this...but we are in a way  
sisters."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Meilai demanded.  
  
"My name is Chang Reiming. I am the twin sister of your late sister's husband."  
  
Whatever answer Meilai had expected, she certainly hadn't expected that. Her sword, which she  
had drawn, slipped from her fingers. "No...you're lying..."  
  
"You know as well as I do that I don't lie."  
  
Meilai sat down with a thud. "You...you are my sister?!" she stammered. "But..." and she  
could only stare mutely at Reiming.  
  
Reiming, meanwhile, had gotten impatient. "Now, are you going to accept my proposal or  
aren't you? I am still waiting for your answer."  
  
Meilai shifted her gaze from Reiming then to her sword. Slowly standing up, she said  
quietly, "If you believe that I am not heartless enough to allow the lives of millions to be  
extinguished...then I am not heartless enough to take the life of my sister," and she  
thrust her sword into the dirt.  
  
Reiming's eyes widened, as did Trowa's from his spot in the field. "What? Why won't you kill  
me?" Reiming sputtered. "You should."  
  
Looking at her, Meilai said, "If what you have said is true, then you have a brother. You have  
family...someone you can return to. Yet...you still came here, willing to forfeit your life  
in a desperate gamble to preserve the future. You were willing to break your brother's heart;  
you were willing to throw away your life, even though you had discovered you had a reason to   
live. How can I take your life? You have a future; you care for humanity. I...I just can't   
kill you," she finished.  
  
Reiming stared at her, then sighed. "You are more human than I ever will be," she said  
quietly. "Even what you've been through, you still have a heart."  
  
"Don't give me too much credit," Meilai said wryly. "I came here fully intending to  
kill you, and I wouldn't have lost any sleep over it either."  
  
"So...will you still keep your end in the bargain, even if you refuse to kill me?"  
  
"I don't see why not...maybe by doing so, I will be able to make up for all those I  
killed before...I can hopefully make up for my sins before I die."  
  
"Die? You're going to kill yourself?"  
  
"Essentially. If Himmler and Atkins poisoned you, then that means they've poisoned me  
as well. Once I turn against them, I'll die, since I will no longer have the daily dose of the  
antidote they probably give me."  
  
Hesitating, Reiming put her hand in her pocket. "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing...  
but just as Heero's been known to say to live by your feelings, I'm doing the same now. Here,"  
she said, holding out a vial with a clear liquid. "Take this. It's the substance that will   
reduce the poison to harmless substances that will later be purged from your body."  
  
Meilai took the vial. "You know...you are taking a huge risk trusting me, you know...What if I  
turn against you?"  
  
"Then humanity is screwed," Reiming said sardonically.  
  
Chapter 30  
  
The two women stared at each other, neither moving. Finally, Meilai pocketed the vial and   
nodded. "Fine..." she said quietly. "I will find the locations of the bombs and tell you," and  
she turned around to leave.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Both Reiming and Meilai whirled around. "Trowa..." Reiming said furiously, trying to count to  
ten and take deep breaths, "You have some nerve...planting that tracer when and where you did..."  
  
"Didn't matter that I came, didn't it?"  
  
Meilai looked at the two humorously. "He managed to plant a tracer on you without you  
noticing? This guy's good." Suddenly, realization dawned. Letting out a chuckle, Meilai said,  
"Well well well Reiming. Very good; I see you've snared yourself one fine guy." Ignoring  
Reiming's furious glare, she continued, "So, when did he plant that thing on you? When you were  
too, ah, busy, shall we say, to notice?"  
  
"Not exactly," Reiming muttered darkly, angry at the fact that she knew her cheeks  
were flaming. "I just let my guard down for a minute, that's all." Sneaking a glance at  
Trowa, she saw his half smile. "You find this amusing, don't you?" she growled.  
  
"Somewhat."  
  
Looking at the two, Meilai could see, despite Reiming's angry look and red cheeks,   
that the two were very much in love. "You were willing to throw away your life, even  
when you had this?" she thought. "You truly have changed."  
  
Turning to face Trowa, Meilai said, "So, what were you planning to do?"  
  
"Use this on you if necessary," Trowa replied, revealing the gun in his hand.  
  
"Trowa, if you had dared to do that, I would have killed you."  
  
"Relax Reiming. The important thing is that I didn't have to. But," he added, and his  
smile disappeared, "You ARE going to help us, aren't you?"  
  
"Do I have a choice?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well then, I choose to help you," and with that, Meilai turned and left.  
  
Once Meilai had left, Reiming turned back to Trowa. "I still can't believe you took advantage  
of that moment and planted a tracer on me!" she said indignantly. "How am I supposed to  
trust you now?"  
  
"The same way we trusted you, right after you woke up from being knocked out by Wufei."  
Trowa reasoned.  
  
Reiming opened her mouth to protest, realized that she didn't have single snappy comeback, then  
shut it again. Trowa regarded her with humorously. "Out of smart remarks, little miss?"  
  
"Don't call me that," she said sullenly. Trowa just laughed. "Well then, we'd better  
be going back then." Reiming nodded, then, on impulse, whirled back around and kissed Trowa.  
When they finally parted, Trowa asked, "What was that for?"  
  
"To prove to myself that you can truly kiss me like the way you did back on the station  
without having any ulterior motives," she said smugly.  
  
"And...?"  
  
"Don't push it," she growled.  
  
Laughing, Trowa turned back to Heavyarms, and Reiming turned back to Phoenix.  
  
30 minutes later...  
  
"You're still alive!" Mariemaia cried, hurling herself at Reiming.  
  
"We all thought that you were dead!" Relena cried, as she and the others hurried down  
to greet them.  
  
Turning towards Trowa, Mariemaia said, "Thank you! You saved her!"  
  
"Um...not exactly," Trowa said. "In fact, there's a good chance Reiming has just  
saved us all."  
  
"What?" Dorothy said, shocked. "What did you do, torture the information out of  
Meilai?"  
  
"No no. I offered her a deal. She could kill me-" Reiming was cut off by a cry of  
outrage from the group.  
  
"Well, I'm certainly glad that THAT little scheme didn't work!" Wufei snapped.  
  
"-and in exchange, she would swear to me that she would assist you by discovering the  
locations of the bombs."  
  
Zechs snorted. "You actually believed that she would fulfill her promise?"  
  
"Yes. Meilai's sense of honor is as strong as mine, and don't give me that look!" she  
snapped when Zechs rolled his eyes. "Regardless, the plan worked. It was a twist of fate, but  
once Meilai found out my real name and how we are related, she couldn't bring herself to  
kill me, but she still agreed to help. It's her idea of atoning for her sins."  
  
"Related?" Noin asked. Cursing to herself, Reiming struggled to figure out how to cover   
for her words.  
  
"Ron Meilai is the sister of my late wife, Ron Meiran," Wufei said simply. After the  
shock of that statement wore off, Quatre cleared his throat.  
  
"Well then," Quatre said. "I'm relieved. I personally think that if Meilai follows  
through with her side of the bargain, I think we should give her the antidote, since she  
won't receive the medication from Himmler and Atkins anymore."  
  
"We-ell..." Reiming said, hesitating.  
  
"What now?" Wufei said wearily.  
  
"I already gave it to her."  
  
"WHAT?!?!" the group shouted.  
  
"That was unbelievably STUPID on your behalf!" Duo howled. "Of all people, I least  
expected YOU to do something as risky as that!"  
  
Reiming shrugged. "I know Heero has been known to say that we should all live by our  
emotions, so that's what I did."  
  
And with that, she turned around and left.  
  
next day...  
  
"Well, looks like she DID keep her end of the bargain."  
  
Heero said nothing, only looked at the list of locations displayed on the screen in front of  
him. "Of course, we'll have to check these locations to be sure, but I think we've got a chance  
now after all," Duo said gleefully.  
  
"There's more than I thought there would be," Quatre said. "Looks like a total of  
about thirty."  
  
"Thirty bombs..." Relena said, shaking her head. "I can't believe this."  
  
"I find it amazing how they stockpiled this many," Lady Une said.   
  
Duo continued to scroll down the list. "Geez...there's one in Los Angeles, California; one in  
New York City, New York; three in China; several scattered across Russia; one in  
Australia; one in Berlin, Germany; one in Paris, France; one in Spain; two in Canada;  
one in Mexico; three in South America; even one in the North and South poles;...and at   
least one on each of the space colonies...I can't believe this! They have some nerve...Hey,  
what's this? Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Reiming, you better have a look at this."  
  
Reiming hurried over. "What? 'I have destroyed the antidote because I have decided I have no  
reason to live?!' What is this?!"  
  
Trowa continued reading aloud for her. "'I have left Himmler and Atkins already to die on my  
own. Don't worry; though I was unable to disable the bombs from the station, I have set it up  
that certain groups bombs can only be activated by going to specific locations, which have been  
marked with astericks. However, at those locations, the computers still must be hacked into  
to gain control of the bombs. Good luck to you all, and don't try to find me. Reiming, this  
means you.'" 


	6. Part 6: A Life Renewed; The Sorrows of W...

Chapter 31  
  
Reiming glowered at the message for several minutes, a furious expression on her face.  
After a few minutes, Hilde spoke up tentatively, "Reiming?"  
  
"The little fool," was the response.  
  
Hilde tried again. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"What else? Find her, and stuff that medicine down her throat if I have to."  
  
"Why bother?" Zechs asked, folding his arms.  
  
"Meilai spared my life when she had every right not to. Therefore, I am returning the  
favor."  
  
"But isn't it her RIGHT to decide whether she wants to live or die?"  
  
"Yes, but I'm going to be selfish. I'm deciding for her, and my decision is that she is  
going to survive."  
  
Zechs started to respond, but Duo cut him off. "Give it up Zechs. Don't you see the look on  
her face? You may as well be talking to a wall." However, he still turned to Reiming. "But  
really, WHY are you so insistant that she live?"  
  
Reiming glanced at him. "Consider it me trying to make up for trying to make sure she die  
several years ago. And besides, it's really not my nature to just sit here and let her die,  
not without a good fight at least." Standing up, Reiming said, "Now's the hard part: FINDING  
her before the poison kills her."  
  
Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't the hard part be FORCING her to take the medicine?"  
  
Reiming waved her hand airily. "No, I'm sure I can handle her," she said glibly. Wufei snorted.  
"Have fun," he muttered. "If she's anything like Meiran, you'll have a heck of a time forcing  
her to do what you want her to."  
  
But Reiming was already walking out of the room. "What are you going to do?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Send her a message via Phoenix. Our suits are linked; the hard part is getting her to  
respond. Once she does, I should be able to get a good guess of her general location, and then  
I can try to flush her out."  
  
"Ten bucks says it doesn't work," Duo said. "You may make it sound easy, but there are  
a hundred things that could go wrong."  
  
"Ten bucks says it does Maxwell," she shot back. "You just wait and see."  
  
a few minutes later...  
  
"I hate to say this, but you know she knows you're going to try and find her. She's not  
going to respond," Trowa said, entering Phoenix's cockpit, where Reiming was busily typing.  
  
  
"Who says I'll be using Phoenix's frequency?" she responded sweetly.  
  
Trowa stared. "Oh," he said.  
  
Still typing, Reiming said, "I'm pretending that this is from the Griffon. It's going to be a  
challenge; I'm pretending that I'm Atkins and that I'm challenging her to a battle. She won't  
be able to resist."  
  
"Why won't she?"  
  
"I was mainly trained by Himmler, while Meilai was trained by Atkins. Just like  
Himmler put me through hundreds of tortuous trials, he did the same with Meilai. She won't   
turn down this chance to get back at him."  
  
Trowa thought for a moment, then smiled. "You know, you are extremely devious."  
  
"Like you aren't!" she shot back.  
  
"Did I say I wasn't?" he said mildly, then chuckled when he saw the furious look on her  
face. "I'm guessing you haven't had much practice with snappy comebacks."  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
Soon, Reiming sent her message. She waited for a few minutes, then a response came back. She  
read it gleefully, and said, "Well well, looks like I'm going to be ten dollars richer soon!"  
  
Trowa read the message. "So...she's supposedly going to meet you somewhere in Australia huh?  
What are you going to do once she sees it's you and not the Griffon?"  
  
"Then I get to chase her around the planet and wear her out."  
  
Trowa raised an eyebrow. "You know, I'm starting to think that Wufei is right. It will be  
much harder for you to force that medicine into her than it is for you to find her."  
  
Reiming shrugged. "As long as it gets done, I could care less."  
  
ten minutes later...  
  
"What?! You want ME to go along with you on this crazy idea of yours?"  
  
Wufei stared at his sister, then made a rude noise. "Forget it. If I can't force you do   
anything, you can't force me to do anything either."  
  
"Who said anything about forcing anyone? I'm just requesting your help."  
  
"Well then, my answer is no," and Wufei turned to leave.  
  
"Oh Wu-fei-ay," she sang. "Why are you so against this plan so much?"  
  
Wufei looked at his sister suspiciously. "I don't like that tone of yours...something's up."  
  
"Just answer my question."  
  
"It's no business of mine."  
  
"Well then, won't you do it for Meiran's sake?"  
  
Wufei glared at his sister. "Keep Meiran out of this!"  
  
"I'm being serious Wufei. Will you just sit here and willingly let your sister in law  
die? I'm not. If anything, think of how Meiran would feel. Think of how she would kill you  
when you met her again in the great thereafter. Hmm? Why don't you do this for her sake?"  
  
Wufei sighed. "You know, you play very dirty."  
  
"So I've been told, though not in those words exactly."  
  
"Fine, fine," Wufei said, throwing up his hands. "I'll go...but I get half of the money  
you're going to swindle out of Duo," he added with a devious grin.  
  
Reiming pretended to sulk. "Oh no," she pretended to pout. "You are so mean!"  
  
30 minutes later...  
  
"There she is," Reiming said. Putting away her binoculars, she walked back into the  
canyon where the suits and Wufei were hidden. "Anyways, I'm going to go out there and confront  
her with the Phoenix. When she runs, you go out and help me drive her into a corner, okay?"  
  
"Why is this idea sounding worse and worse by the minute?"  
  
"Just do it," Reiming said, exasperated.  
  
A few minutes later, when Reiming flew out to meet Meilai, the Seraphim stopped short. "Oh  
that was very evil Reiming," Meilai's voice floated over the speaker. "I'm guessing you're  
going to force me to take the medicine now, is it?"  
  
"Very good. So why don't you be a good little girl and get your butt over here?"  
  
"WHY do you care so much?"  
  
"You're my sister. I'm not going to let you just die."  
  
Meilai sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but sorry, no, I'm not going to listen to you.  
I've done my part; now just let me die in peace." And the Seraphim turned around and tore off  
at top speed.  
  
Taking off after here, Reiming called, "NOW would be a good time Wufei!"  
  
"Wufei?! He's here too?"  
  
"Of course. He's your brother in law isn't he? Neither of us is going to let you get  
away that easily."  
  
The two chased after Seraphim for a while, and then the Seraphim turned around. "I'm sorry  
you two," Meilai said, then started firing her beam cannon.  
  
Dodging the blasts, Reiming said, "I'm sorry too," and began firing her own cannon. When Wufei  
hesitated, her disgusted face popped up on his monitor. "Okay okay," he muttered, and started  
shooting at Meilai with his Dragon Fang.  
  
Meilai was an excellent pilot; however, the poison was working much more rapidly on her than it  
had on Reiming, since Meilai wasn't fighting it. Soon, her piloting became less skilled, and  
the two siblings pounced. Finally, the Seraphim crashed into a mountain. Reiming landed her  
suit and jumped across onto the Seraphim and forced the door open. Wufei landed also, not  
daring to go inside the Seraphim; he could hear bits of the conflict floating over, and it was  
not pleasant. Wufei could hear several crashes, a good deal of swearing, and a lot of loud  
"No's" from what he assumed was Meilai. Finally, however, a somewhat battered Reiming  
emerged, carrying a very much unconscious Meilai. She set her down, forced her mouth open, and  
poured in the medicine. Then, looking at Wufei, who was trying to fight the urge to laugh  
unsuccessfully, she snapped, "Instead of standing there, get back in your suit and help me tow  
Seraphim back to the station."  
  
"Meilai give you your money's worth?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Wufei just laughed some more, but went back into the Altron. Moments later, the two were heading  
back to space, towing Seraphim with them.  
  
back on the station  
  
"You were successful," a surprised Lady Une said.   
  
"Surprised?" Reiming asked.  
  
"Yes. How did you pull it off?"  
  
"Basically, used Griffon's frequency, challenged her to a duel, chased her around until  
she crashed, fought her and knocked her unconscious, then forced the medicine down her throat,  
just as I said I would," she said breezily.  
  
"And get a few bruises in the process?"  
  
"Weell...I was hoping not to, but it worked didn't it? And," she continued, catching  
sight of Duo, "I am now ten, no, er, five dollars richer."  
  
"Five?" Mariemaia asked.   
  
"Wufei agreed to come with me only if I split the money," she explained. "Now, Meilai  
needs a room."  
  
"And you need to get ready to run," Zechs said wryly. "I have a feeling that as soon  
as your friend comes to, the first she's going to do is try to kill you."  
  
"No worries; I'm sure she'll thank me...eventually."  
  
Zechs prediction came true. Fifteen minutes later, everyone on the station heard, "CHANG  
REIMING!!! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE! YOU ARE SO SCREWED!" The shout was so loud that it  
echoed through the hallways and shook the panes of glass.  
  
Looking up from the computer, Heero said, "You know, I think she's a little upset."  
  
"Really," Relena said. "I'm surprised you noticed."  
  
Sighing, Heero stood up. "May as well go mediate the little conflict."  
  
"Are you sure that that's a good idea?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure it's not, but I'm going anyway."  
  
Walking down the hall and into Meilai's room, Heero and Relena found a furious Meilai and a  
calm Reiming leaning against the wall. Trowa and Wufei were standing outside, carefully away  
from the crossfire.  
  
"Reiming...you had NO business whatsoever determining my fate," Meilai snarled, her  
fists clenched.  
  
"No I didn't."  
  
"It was MY choice to go and die, but NO, you just HAD to jump in where you weren't  
wanted!"  
  
"Yes I did."  
  
Glaring at her with smoldering eyes, Meilai snarled, "Are you just going to stand there agreeing  
with me?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Meilai gave up. Muttering furiously to herself, she stomped out of the room. "What are YOU  
looking at?" she growled to Wufei. "I'm no less pleased with you than I am with her, just so  
you know!"  
  
"What am I looking at? You, as far as I know."  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
"Hmm...you two really are similar. That's the exact same thing Reiming would say."  
  
"What is your point?"  
  
"There is none. I'm just trying not to fan the flames of your rage, so to speak, by  
making polite conversation."  
  
"Well, it's not working!"  
  
"Really? That's a shame."  
  
"I swear, I'm going to hit you."  
  
"That's too bad; you seem like such a sweet little girl."  
  
"Little?!" she choked furiously. Raising her right arm, she prepared herself to hit  
him, but he caught her arm easily. "Meilai," he said gently. "You know Reiming is right. Like  
her, I really couldn't just sit there and let my wife's sister die. Can't you understand that?"  
  
Glaring at him, Meilai slowly felt her anger subside. "It still wasn't any of your business,"  
she muttered, sullenly looking at her arm in Wufei's grip.  
  
"You know that it was."  
  
Meilai glared at him. "Let go of my arm," she snapped. Wufei complied. Meilai glared at him a  
moment longer, then lifting her head proudly, swept down the hall.  
  
"Meow," Dorothy said, joining them in the hallway. "You were right Reiming; you two  
are nearly twins."  
  
"Living together since you were six can do that," she said.  
  
"So...what are we going to do with her?"  
  
"What else?" Relena said. "She's on our side now, isn't she?"  
  
"Hopefully."  
  
"Well, we'll just have to treat her hospitably, and hopefully she'll warm up." Relena  
sighed.   
  
Walking up to the rest, Duo said ruefully, "Well, now we have two of them to deal with. OW!"  
he added as Reiming yanked his braid.  
  
Chapter 32  
  
Regardless of Meilai's somewhat explosive entrance into their lives, the Gundam pilots and their  
friends could not take the time to adjust to her. Time was clearly running short, and they all  
feared that Himmler and Atkins would detonate the bombs soon. As soon as Meilai had cooled   
down somewhat, Heero immediately approached her and asked her about the status of the bombs.  
  
"Meilai, exactly what did you do to the bombs?"  
  
Meilai, who had been been in the garden, dipping her feet in the artificial stream, looked up  
at him. "What do you mean, what did I do?"  
  
"Exactly what it sounds like."  
  
Standing up, Meilai went into the hangar where Seraphim was. She emerged a few moments later  
with a print out. "This is what I did," she said, handing it to him. "I put the bombs into  
groups, with one bomb, that, once detonated, will send messages to all the other bombs to  
detonate also. However, if that one bomb were deactivated, the rest would also deactivate.  
Also, the other bombs will not be able to detonate on their own."  
  
"Do Himmler and Atkins know which ones are the ones that control the others?"  
  
"Hopefully not. I made them very random."  
  
"But do you know the exact locations of these bombs?"  
  
"Not exactly...I only know the general area. Only Himmler and Atkins know exactly  
where the bombs are hidden...but then again, they may have told a select few."  
  
"Well then," Heero said, "We'd better get started."  
  
that evening  
  
"Really! WHY do people blast that sound so loudly? It doesn't even deserve to be   
called music!" Reiming said, annoyed.  
  
The pilots, along with Reiming and Meilai, were standing outside of a what appeared to be a  
club. Loud music blasted from within.  
  
Glancing at Reiming, Zechs said, "Isn't that nearly the exact thing you had playing in your  
room that evening?"  
  
"I was only playing it to aggravate you. Plus...I had ear plugs," she added.  
  
Zechs shook his head. "You're too much."  
  
In the meantime, Meilai hadn't taken her eyes off the compound. Suddenly, she pointed.  
"There," she said. "That's one of Himmler's and Atkins' head men. I'm pretty sure that he  
knows where the bomb is hidden around here."  
At the sound of her voice, Reiming glanced at him. "Oh him," she said. "I remember him."  
He was a perverted son of a bitch, she thought privately. Meilai was having the same   
thoughts. The two girls looked at each other, and Reiming nodded grimly. Meanwhile, the other  
pilots were sizing him up. "He's big," Duo said, but added, "But the bigger they are, the  
harder they fall. He'll be easy," he finished.  
In the meanwhile, Meilai shot a look at Reiming. "You can't do it that way," she hissed.  
"If you push him too hard, he won't answer your questions!"  
"There are ways of making people talk," Heero said grimly.  
Meilai shook her head, and turned to Reiming. Suddenly, she started speaking in Chinese.  
"We can't let them do that," she whispered.  
"No...it is too risky...we have no other choice then...We will have to do this our way,"  
Reiming agreed.  
"What are you two saying?" Wufei said suspiciously. "Is that Chinese I hear?" he  
asked, also in Chinese. The two girls looked at him, then Reiming said quickly, "Switch  
dialects." Immediately, they began speaking in a language that even Wufei couldn't  
understand.  
"Very well then," Reiming said, shuddering slightly. Meilai shuddered also, but then  
reached in her pocket and pulled out a coin. "Call it," she said, speaking in English once  
again.  
"Heads."  
Meilai flipped the coin in the air, but before she could catch it again, Trowa reached out and  
grabbed it. "What are you two going to do?"  
"We're going to get the information out of him with the littlest risk possible."  
"How?" but as soon as he said that, Trowa knew the answer. "No," he said. "Neither of  
you is going out there," he said firmly.  
"What are you talking about?" Duo asked.  
Ignoring him, Reiming said, "Forget it Trowa. Your way wouldn't work. We know this guy. We  
can handle him."  
"So you're going to lower yourselves to the level of common prostitutes, is that it?"  
"Prostitutes?!" Wufei said horrified, realizing at the same time as everyone else what  
Reiming and Meilai were planning. At the same time, Meilai raised an eyebrow at Reiming.  
"You told him. I'm surprised."  
"WHAT?!" Duo said, shocked. "Oh no, no no no no NO! There is NO way you guys are   
going out there and...and...SEDUCING him into giving you the information! No," he said,  
shaking his head. "You guys...you WANT to go out there?!"  
"Of course not!" Meilai snapped. "But this is war. Sacrifices must be made, and they  
may as well be made by us."  
Zechs shook his head. "I don't know what shocks me more, the fact that soldiers would be so  
immoral as to be ABLE to be seduced, or the fact that you two are willing to...to..." and he  
couldn't finish his sentence.  
"Please reconsider!" Quatre begged. "You guys can't...you guys just can't allow that  
to happen to yourselves!"  
Reiming's eyes were blank. "It's no big deal..." she said dully. "It's...not anything...that  
we're not...used to," she finished in barely a whisper.  
Wufei stared at his sister. "Oh my God," he choked. "They...they DID that to you two?!" he  
finished, nearly shouting. "I'll kill them!"  
"Keep it down!" Meilai hissed. "It's a fact of life that that happened. Just forget  
that we ever said anything okay?" and with that, she turned around to walk out of the alley  
they were hiding in, but suddenly, Heero jumped out in front. "You're not going," he said in  
a matter of fact of voice. "We won't let you...we outnumber you three to one. If we have to,  
we'll have to forcibly keep you from going...but we won't allow you two to do that sort of  
thing to yourselves."  
Reiming and Meilai looked at them. Finally, Reiming folded her arms. "Fine, I give you FIVE  
minutes to think of a better plan, or we go, and have fun stopping us."  
"We'll think of a better plan, but regardless, you are NOT going out there," Trowa said.  
Reiming whirled on him. "It's like Meilai said. This is WAR, Trowa Barton. It's not pretty,"  
she said furiously.  
"I will NOT allow you to go!" Trowa suddenly shouted. Reiming's eyes widened in shock;  
Trowa had never raised him voice at her, or anyone, before. "I...I care too much about you to  
let you go...I know what it feels like...it's like dying...and I will not let you subject  
yourself to that kind of torture..."  
"You...KNOW what it feels like?" Wufei said slowly. The pilots slowly turned to  
him, gradually comprehending his words.  
"Trowa..." Quatre said quietly.  
Trowa's eyes glazed over. "Just forget it," he said quietly. "But...I know what it's like,  
and," he said, his voice getting stronger as he faced Reiming, "I'm not letting you go."  
Reiming looked at him evenly for a long time. Suddenly, Trowa realized that her eyes were  
unusually bright.  
"Reiming..."  
"Trowa, you idiot," she whispered, tears trickling slowly down her face, "I swore I  
would never cry again, and look at what you made me do...you bastard..."  
Trowa smiled, and reaching out, pulled her close. Leaning against him, she closed her eyes and  
listened to his heartbeat. "I feel so safe here," she thought.  
Meilai was in the meantime watching this tender moment. "She is so lucky," she thought  
enviously. "But she deserves it...but will I ever know love like that?"  
Heero suddenly coughed politely. "I hate to do this...but," he said, jerking his thumb out of   
the alley. Reiming and Trowa both straightened, focused once more. Finally, Reiming said  
quietly, "There...there MIGHT be an alternative..."  
"There is?" Meilai asked, surprised. Reiming pulled out a few syringes and vials.  
Seeing those, Meilai suddenly laughed grimly. "You're kidding..."  
"What are those for?" Quatre asked. "Or...do I not want to know?"  
"Truth serum, am I right?" Meilai said. Reiming nodded. "Just like old times, eh?" she  
asked Meilai.  
"Just what did you two do anyway?!" Duo said disbelievingly. "Sheesh, I learn something  
new about you guys every day..."  
"I've always been interested in medicine...so I've developed a few little things of  
mine over the years. This is one of them," Reiming said, waving the vial. "The others are  
a stimulant and a depressant."  
"So what are you going to do?" Wufei asked suspiciously.  
"Depends on who won the coin toss."  
"Oh no-" he began, but was cut off by Meilai. "Relax...one of us is going to lure him  
in here, where he'll be knocked out. Then we inject him with the truth serum and stimulant,  
but also the depressant, which will keep him senile...and what the HECK am I saying?!" Meilai  
whirled around to face Reiming. "Reiming...that many chemicals in his system...you'll OD  
him!"  
"That's why I didn't want to use this alternative...but do we have choice? Now," she  
continued, briskly, who won the coin toss?" and she looked pointedly at Trowa. When he  
hesitated, she said impatiently, "Look...it's not so bad as plan A, so just give me the  
coin." Finally, he cooperated and handed over the coin. "Heads," Reiming said.  
"Looks like I go," Meilai said, briskly turning around. "Wish me luck."  
But as she turned, Wufei suddenly stepped out in front. "What now?" she said wearily.  
Wufei hesitated, then just said, "Be careful out there."  
"Of course," and she stepped around him.  
The group anxiously watched as Meilai approached their target. However, they all soon  
turned back around. As Reiming prepared the syringes, she noticed that her hands were  
trembling. "Why am I so weak," she muttered, cursing her clumsy fingers. Finally, she handed  
one syringe to Wufei and one to Trowa. "Just jab these into him," she said.  
Meilai in the meantime was true to her word. After carefully enticing the man with a few well  
chosen words, she deftly slipped out of his grasp and carefully led him towards them. Once in  
the alley, Heero and Zechs pounced. Heero jammed him fist in his stomach, while Zechs slammed  
him into a wall. The man slumped over. Quickly, Reiming injected the serum, and Wufei and  
Trowa also emptied their contents into his veins. All watched him anxiously. "Oh man..." Duo  
muttered. "If this guy's dead..."  
But then the man stirred. Groaning, he sat up. His unfocused eyes told everyone that he was  
harmless, and they let out a sigh of relief. "All right," Meilai said briskly. "I'll do the  
talking. What," she demanded sharply, "Is your name?"  
"Jacque...Jacque Willis..." he slurred.  
Pleased, Meilai said, "Very good; it worked." Turning back to him, she snapped, "Where is the  
bomb?"  
"Below...below the building...in a secret basement..." he muttered, head rolling.  
"He's going to give out soon," Reiming said grimly. "Hurry it up, Meilai."  
"Okay. Now, how do we get there?"  
"Find false wall...behind door with circuit box...fake circuit room...type in..." but  
with that, Jacque's eyes closed and he fell, completely unsconscious.  
Meilai stood up. "Oh well...we have the location, which is what's important. Between all of  
us, we should be able to break the codes, no?"  
The rest agreed, and they all entered the club. Reiming winced at the noise, but continued  
fighting her way through the mostly drunk crowd. "Over here," she called. The rest joined her,  
where she pointed to a door in a side hallway. "There." The direction she was pointing to  
was across from a grungy restroom, and standing by it were two big men, pretending to lean  
casually agaisnt the wall. "Guards," Zechs murmured. "We can take care of-Hey!"  
But Reiming and Meilai had already walked forward. "Hello there," Reiming said sweetly. "We  
need some help in the restroom...Could you come with us?" she said, sidling up to him and  
winking up at him. "It's urgent..."  
Next to her, Meilai placed her hand on the other guard's arm. Looking up with what she hoped   
was an innocent expression, she said, "Please sir...we really need your help," she said,  
batting her eyelashes. "I'm sure it won't be hard for you..."  
Needless to say, the two readily abandoned their posts. Following the two girls, they walked  
into the bathroom. Reiming and Meilai emerged a few moments later, each wearing smug  
expressions on their faces. "Guards go night night," Meilai said sweetly at the bewildered  
pilots. But then she dropped her facade when she started to shake. "Oh my God," she  
whimpered. Reiming wasn't in much better shape, and Trowa quickly stepped forward to  
comfort her. To everyone's surprise, Wufei stepped up to Meilai. Putting his arm around her,  
he said soothingly, "It's okay Meilai...it's over now...you're safe." Reiming raised an  
eyebrow at Wufei, but didn't say a word. She slipped out of Trowa's grasp. "Don't worry  
about us," she said briskly. "Let's deal with the bomb first."  
The group turned back to the door. "Danger huh?" Duo scoffed at the sign. "That's an  
understatement." The pilots opened the door and came into a room full of switchboards.  
Running a hand over one of them, Trowa said, "They're all fake, every single one. But where  
is the wall?"  
"Here," Heero said. Gripping the edge of the wall, he pried it open, revealing a  
staircase. They all walked down it, and finally, came to a metal door with a code pad.  
Reiming snorted. "Oh please," she muttered. Removing a hair pin, she prized it into the edge  
of the pad. The thing sparked for a minute, then the door swung open. They all walked in,   
and after a few minutes, came into a massive room, where they stared at the bomb.  
"Well well, so here it is," Duo muttered.  
Quatre and Heero were at one of the computers. "It's been a while, hasn't it Heero?" Quatre  
said, flexing his fingers. "Let's see if we can deactivate this thing."  
Sure enough, after a few minutes of vigorous typing, the bomb was deactivated. Meilai took  
a print out from her pocket. "Scratch off the bombs in America, Australia, and the Poles," she  
said gleefully. "Now...to Europe."  
  
Chapter 33  
  
And so the cycle continued. Thanks to Meilai's help, the Gundam pilots traveled to each of the  
locations and systemically deactivated the bombs. Finally, a couple days later, they were done.  
  
"Whew!" Duo said, wiping his brow. "I'm glad that's finally over!"  
  
The pilots were back on Quatre's station, and for the first time in days, somewhat relaxed.  
Though they all kept one eye on the monitor that was showing the space battleship across from  
them, they were also sprawled around the large living room in various places. Duo and Hilde  
were sipping drinks and watching Jerry chase Reena around the room, while Aelis wrinkled her  
nose at them. Zechs and Noin were also watching them. Heero was the least relaxed of them all,  
staring at the monitor, but he would still occasionally glance down at Relena, who was leaning  
against him, with Mariko sleeping in her lap. Trowa and Reiming were standing together at the  
window, looking out at space, with Trowa holding Reiming around the waist, and Dorothy and  
Quatre were sitting on a couch. Cathrine was also sitting on a couch, knitting, and occasionally  
glancing over at Trowa and Reiming and smiling. Wufei was leaning against the wall lost in  
thought, as was Meilai. Suddenly, Dorothy's eyes widened.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"What is it Dorothy?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Nothing...just a small cramp is all."  
  
But when a similar cramp occured twenty minutes later, Dorothy said weakly, "On second thought...  
I think this baby is about to be born."  
  
These words immediately threw everyone in the room into chaos. Relena and Cathrine jumped up to  
help Dorothy, and Quatre began fussing over her. Hilde gathered the children and shooed them   
away from Dorothy, and Reiming and Meilai went down the hall to the room that had been set aside   
for Dorothy to get it ready for her. Duo left and returned with a wheelchair, and, after giving   
him a pointed look, Relena got Heero to go and entertain the children. Trowa and Wufei looked on  
with interest.  
  
"It's a good thing the possibility of her giving birth in space was thought of," Wufei   
said thoughtfully. "With the current situation, it would have been difficult getting her to a   
hospital down on Earth." Trowa nodded in agreement.  
  
In the meantime, Quatre had finally persuaded Dorothy to get in the wheelchair, and Duo wheeled   
her down the hall. As soon as Dorothy was settled in bed, Lady Une promptly shooed away all the   
men, with the exception of Quatre, and shut the door in their faces. Meanwhile, Dorothy was   
complaining.  
  
"Of all the times it had to be born, it just had to be now!"  
  
Relena gave her a look. "Is that any way to welcome your first child?"  
  
"No no, I'm not angry at IT, but I'm angry at Himmler and Atkins! Of all the days, they   
just HAD to pick NOW to try and pull a coup! Couldn't they just have waited a few more-OW!"  
  
Dorothy was abruptly cut off by another sharper cramp. Quatre sqeezed her hand in  
reassurance, and Relena promptly sat down next to her and took her other hand. Meanwhile,  
Cathrine and Hilde prepared wet cloths to place on Dorothy's forehead.  
  
outside...  
  
The Gundam pilots were congregated outside. Mariemaia had appeared and spirited the  
children away, so it had been quiet. At the sound of Dorothy's yelp, Duo winced.  
  
"That sounded painful...brings back memories of when Hilde was pregnant with  
Jerry."  
  
Heero and Zechs nodded. "She's lucky. Lucrezia had to give birth to two," he said wryly.  
  
inside...  
  
Two hours passed. Inside, all the women were busy attending to Dorothy, who was very much in  
pain. Reiming had injected her with painkillers, but they had only numbed the pain somewhat.  
Lady Une was busy observing the soon to be born baby on the monitor, and Hilde and Cathrine  
were still wiping Dorothy's forehead. Noin and Meilai were replacing soiled sheets and supplies,  
and Relena and Quatre were still holding her hands, both of their eyes widening somewhat  
whenever she gave them a painful squeeze. Finally, after several more hours, an exhausted  
Dorothy gave birth to a screaming baby boy. An equally exhausted Lady Une cleaned the infant and  
handed it to Dorothy, who was lying on the bed, sweating.  
  
Quatre stared at the baby. "That's my...that's my..." he stammered, unable to finish.  
  
"Son?" Meilai offered with a half smile. But suddenly a real smile broke through.   
"He's so cute!" she said, and reached over to tickle it.  
  
Reiming watched Meilai. "Lucky..." she thought enviously. "You're not cold like me."  
  
Meanwhile, Noin went to the door. "It's a boy," they heard her call wearily.  
  
The other pilots crowded into the room to look at the new baby and to congratulate Quatre and  
Dorothy.  
  
"He's a little guy, isn't he?" Duo said, leaning over to play with the baby.  
  
Dorothy smiled an exhausted smile. "He may be little, but you wouldn't know how much trouble  
and pain he caused."  
  
"We do," Relena, Hilde, and Noin said ruefully. "Men," Hilde said, "are so lucky.  
They don't have to deal with things like this."  
  
"What's your point?!" Duo demanded.  
  
"Men are insensitive clods."  
  
"Hey!" said every male in the room, but all the women just smiled.  
  
"Oh wow, is that the baby?"  
  
Everyone turned to face the doorway, where Mariemaia had appeared. Behind her peeked four  
pairs of curious eyes. Finally, Jerry darted forward. "Is it a boy this time?" he   
demanded.  
  
"Yes," Hilde said, ruffling his hair.  
  
Jerry smiled. "Good, girls are boring."  
  
"Hey!" cried Reena, Aelis, and Mariko furiously. The men in the room laughed also.  
"See?" Duo said, turning to Hilde. "That's what our son thinks of your opinion." Hilde  
sighed. "He truly is your son."  
  
Reiming leaned forward to examine the baby. "Do you have a name?" she asked.  
  
"Not yet...I figure the...inspiration...will come," Dorothy said. "And I'm really too  
tired to think of a name right now." Reiming nodded, still looking at the baby. "I guess it  
is cute, like Meilai said," she thought. "I wonder if I would be willing to go through all that  
pain..."  
  
However, soon Relena coughed politely. "Dorothy needs rest," she said, shooing everyone away  
from the bed. The group reluctantly left; Noin stopping in the doorway, saying, "Tell us  
when you decide on a name. Congratulations again!" And with that, the group left a happy  
Quatre and Dorothy with their son.  
  
Outside, Relena sighed happily. "Isn't it wonderful Heero? Now Dorothy and Quatre have their  
first child!" and she looked at Mariko fondly. "Mm..." Heero said distractedly. Relena  
looked up. "Oh..." she said, understanding. "You're worried if the baby will slow us down,  
aren't you? And you're afraid that the baby will influence Quatre's fighting."  
  
"I'm worried too," Wufei spoke up. "Now that he has a child...things will be different  
for him. He may get distracted."  
  
The group paused in the hallway, their happy feeling dampened. "This is war..." Cathrine  
thought bitterly. "In such a happy time as this, war twists it and distorts it so all our  
happiness is lost." 


	7. Part 7: Confusing Emotions; All is Well

Chapter 34  
  
The next day, Quatre and Dorothy proudly announced the name they chose. "His name is Rayan.  
Rayan Winner," Quatre said.  
  
"Rayan?" Jerry asked, wrinkling his nose at the unfamiliar sound.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Weell..." Jerry said, "I guess as long as it's a boy's name, it's okay then."  
  
"Since when was your opinion needed, young man?" Hilde asked humorously, and Jerry  
sulked.  
  
Meanwhile, Heero finally said, "It's good he has a name, but now we need to focus on other  
things." Both Dorothy and Quatre looked up, and they nodded. "We understand," Dorothy said  
simply.  
  
Reiming, who had been very quiet, finally spoke up. "I think I have an idea on how to design  
a program to overload the Xero program...but it's going to take time...I don't know how long."  
  
Heero nodded. "Okay then, you'd better get started."  
  
Reiming nodded, and headed towards the kitchen. She came out later with some food, and...  
  
"Coffee?" Trowa asked. "Oh no..."  
  
"I think I'll be needing the caffeine, since I don't plan on sleeping until I finish."  
  
"But you shouldn't torture your body."  
  
"Oh well."  
  
Trowa shrugged helplessly, then said, "Fine, I give you a week. Any more, and I break down the  
door and make you get some rest."  
  
Reiming looked rebellious, but subsided. "Fine, a week. But don't think that just because you  
won this time means that I will listen to you always."  
  
And she headed to a room and closed the door.  
  
"What else should we do?" Noin asked. "Assuming that Reiming is successful, we still  
need a plan."  
  
"I think we should continue watching the station. In the meantime, I also think we  
need to practice with simulations, and study the plans for the Chimera and Griffon. We  
should also assume the possibility that they have been upgraded, and we need to form battle  
plans," Quatre said.  
  
"Well then," Wufei said. "We each train ourselves vigorously until they attack or  
Reiming comes out, or until a week has passed then."  
  
The pilots all nodded.  
  
a few days later...  
  
Reiming felt like fainting. She had dealt with the first 48 hours well, but she was now  
working on her third day with no sleep and she was exhausted. "Almost there," she said  
grimly, pounding away at the keyboard.  
  
outside...  
  
Meilai sat in the garden, meditating. Soon however, her eyes flashed open. Brandishing her  
sword, she began practicing, carving patterns into the air and lashing out at invisible  
opponents. Suddenly, a knife whirled in her direction, and she deflected it easily, and looked  
towards the source of the knife.   
  
"You are as skilled as Meiran was," Wufei said, twirling another knife. Meilai smiled  
fleetingly. "What are you doing over there?" she called.  
  
Wufei leaped over the small stream and made his way through the garden towards Meilai. "I WAS  
practicing," he said.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I guess I was too loud."  
  
Wufei studied the girl in front of her. "She's so much like Meiran, but she's different also,"  
he mused.  
  
"Do you miss Meiran?"  
  
Wufei was jarred from his staring. "Sorry...I see her in you I guess."  
  
"You two were that close?"  
  
"No, we weren't," Wufei admitted. "In fact...we hated each other. I used to be quiet  
and studious, really!" he said when Meilai threw him an odd look, "and she was aggressive and  
loud, a true warrior. She also resented me because even as I was, I was a better fighter than  
she. But...right before she died..." and Wufei looked away.  
  
"I'm sorry," Meilai said quietly.  
  
"No no...it's not your fault. It's probably better if I tell someone anyway."  
  
Meilai looked at Wufei. "So...what happened?" she asked quietly. "I...don't have many  
memories of my sister."  
  
"Meiran had been wounded in a battle with OZ. The intensity of her mobile suit had  
been too much for her, and while she was distracted, a Leo crashed into her and both suits  
exploded. She was wounded, and she asked me to carry her to a field of flowers. Before she  
died, she admitted that I was...stronger than she. She also admitted that she wished she  
had been able to appreciate little things, like the beauty of the flowers, earlier," Wufei  
finished quietly, then looked away.  
  
Meilai looked sadly at him. "So...that's what happened to Meiran..." and a tear fell.  
  
Wufei turned to her, surprised. "I'm sorry...I'm so weak," she whispered. "I'm not strong...  
like you and Reiming, and I'm not strong...like Meiran was..."  
  
"No," Wufei said suddenly, surprising both himself and Meilai. "You're compassionate,  
and sometimes...that is the greatest strength of all...to remain human...even in the midst of  
battle..."   
  
"Tell that to my parents," she said bitterly. "I'm not strong...I'm weak...I never will  
be worthy of being in the Ron clan, much less the sister of the great Ron Meiran..."  
  
Looking at her sympathetically, Wufei thought, "You and my sister are truly alike...you both  
feel inferior...but neither of you are," he thought. "When will you realize that you are  
special," then started, when he realized he had said that out loud.  
  
Meilai's head jerked up at him. She stared at him, and muttered, "I thank you for your  
praise...but it's not true..."  
  
"Yes it is," Wufei said in a choked voice, after he had recovered. "You...you ARE  
special..."  
  
inside  
  
"Finished!" Reiming said triumphantly. "About time," a voice said.  
  
"What?!" she said, whirling around, but no one was there. Suddenly, a monitor  
flickered on, and Trowa's face appeared. "Hello Reiming."  
  
"Trowa..." she fumed.  
  
"You forgot to check for tracers and other devices," he said in means of explanation.  
  
Reiming glared at him for a little, then tossed her head and stormed out of the room.  
Outside, Trowa chuckled and turned around from the screen to confront an angry Reiming.  
"You have some nerve!" she said in greeting.  
  
"Isn't that one of the things you love about me?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Trowa sighed, "At least you didn't deny it."  
  
"Weeelll..." she said, shyly looking up at him, her anger disappearing. "I'm just not  
used to being outsmarted, that's all."  
  
"Looks like you've met your match," he said, drawing her close, and wrinkling his nose.  
"You smell like coffee," he teased.  
  
Reiming raised an eyebrow. "Happens when you don't sleep for 72 hours," then she let out a  
huge yawn. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room, dead."  
  
Trowa smiled down at her, and said, "I'll walk you there, but first, you're getting some air,"  
and he led her out into the garden.  
  
The two walked out, then Reiming froze, her exhaustion falling away. She grabbed Trowa's hand,  
and dragged him behind the nearest tree. "Wha-? Oh..." he said, looking where she was  
looking.  
  
Wufei, in a burst of boldness, had put his hand on Meilai's cheek, and the two were just  
standing there, looking at each other. However, the moment soon passed and both turned away,  
embarrassed. "I...have to practice," Meilai stammered, picking up her sword, which she had  
dropped. Wufei muttered something similar, and they turned away and walked in opposite  
directions.  
  
"Huh," Reiming said.  
  
"Surprised?" Trowa asked.  
  
"No...not really."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Didn't you see the look in his eyes that night in the alley? No? Well, that was my  
first hint. The way he comforted her later confirmed my suspicions."  
  
"Are you upset?"  
  
"Oh no no. But I think Meilai is going to have a long wait. Wufei may have feelings  
for her, but I have a feeling that we're all going to be as old and decrepit as Himmler before  
he is brave enough to tell her..."  
  
Trowa looked at her suspiciously. "You're plotting," he said suspiciously.  
  
"Me? Oh no, of course not. I'm too tired to plot," she said airily. Trowa just  
looked at her. She sighed. "Fine...I may be too tired to plot...but I am up to something,  
so are you satisfied?"  
  
Trowa smiled again and kissed her head. "Quite. Now, let's get you to bed."  
  
Chapter 35  
  
"So basically, the ANTI XERO program works the same way as the ANTI ZERO, only it  
overloads it much quicker. It causes whatever suit that is using the program to give off a  
tremendous level of intensity, causing any suit within a large range using the XERO system to  
overload it, since the intensity, thanks to the program, is magnified 30 times, just as in the  
ZERO system."  
  
"But with the level of intensity the suit is giving off, wouldn't it affect the suit's  
pilot as well?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Yes...but it's a risk whoever uses it will have to take. Also...the intensity given  
off...if continued for too long, will also overload that suit. It's a race to see who gives out  
first," Reiming shrugged.  
  
The pilots pondered this information. After Reiming had more or less crashed in her room for  
24 hours, Heero and Zechs had asked a reluctant Wufei to wake his sister up, since the  
encrypting system Reiming had used could not be broken into incorrectly, as one incorrect   
maneuver would cause the disk to automatically self-delete. Wufei unsuccessfully tried waking  
her, and even with Trowa helping, Reiming didn't budge. Finally, in a mischievous  
mood, Meilai ordered the four children to jump on her bed and start jumping. A furious   
Reiming stumbled out of her room, followed by four laughing children, to be met with all the  
pilots and their family laughing hysterically; well, in Heero's case, smiling.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you all think that's funny," she muttered sullenly, glaring at them.  
  
"Yes, it is," Meilai said gleefully.  
  
"Your idea, I take it?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Grrr..." she snarled, prompting more laughter.  
  
But after that had passed, Reiming explained how the system worked. "So now...we need to lure  
Himmler and Atkins out in a battle, then pray that we win."  
  
"Hmm...should be interesting...we've never done something like that before," Duo  
said. "Usually," he said ruefully, "We're the ones getting lured into traps."  
  
"Well, first time for everything," Lady Une said briskly.  
  
"Fine then, we'll-" but Reiming was cut off by another yawn. "I think," Relena said  
smilingly, "that you need more sleep..."  
  
"You think? It's not pleasant to be woken up by four...four...munchkins," she said,  
casting a baleful glance at the still giggling children.  
  
Noin smiled. "Hey...I usually get woken up by two 'munchkins' every day...too early in the  
morning, may I add."  
  
"Ugh...reason why you have children and I don't."  
  
"You may change your mind..." she said, glancing at Trowa and winking. Reiming  
wrinkled her nose at her. "I'm too tired to argue...good night..."  
And she returned to her room.  
  
a few days later...  
  
"Wufei, got a minute?"  
  
Wufei started, surprised. Though Reiming had warmed up considerably, it was not often that she  
pulled him over for a heart to heart. But he stood up anyway, and followed his sister  
outside.  
  
"Wufei...spit it out."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's obvious to me that you like Meilai, so just stop being so anal and stubborn and  
a typical Chang male and admit it to yourself."  
  
"What? I don't know what you're talking about," he said stiffly.  
  
Reiming snorted. "Weak!" she said derisively.  
  
Wufei glared at her; she looked right back and stared him down. "It's none of your business  
anyway," he grumbled.  
  
"Oh shut up. It's plenty my business."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Well, ever since that little speech of yours that you gave me while I was still Lillith,  
when you went on about how twins are supposed to nose into each others businesses, well, since  
then, it has been my business. Also, Meilai is like a sister to me..."  
  
"Exactly, a sister. Reiming...she is my SISTER IN LAW! I can't do anything even if I  
wanted to," he said miserably.  
  
Reiming rolled her eyes. "Wufei, I hate to sound cold, but MEIRAN IS DEAD. She has been dead  
for nine years. Now, a new woman walks into your life, and you obviously have feelings for her,  
but no, she's your, gasp, sister in law, who may I add, you have never seen in your life, so  
oh darn, you can't touch her. Bull!"  
  
Wufei started to reply, then stopped, realizing that he had nothing to say. "Well," he said  
feebly, "even if I do like her..."  
  
"Forget the 'even' Wufei. You LIKE HER."  
  
"FINE!" Wufei shouted. "Fine," he muttered, regaining control. "So I do have feelings  
for her...but she doesn't for me..."  
  
Reiming stared at him, then, calmly walking up to him, punched him in the side of the face hard.  
  
"Wufei you jackass! That was beyond weak! Of course she likes you! Why do you think  
I'm here? She likes you, you like her, but she, unlike me, is a 'proper' little Asian  
female who won't say anything until she gets the okay from the 'dominant' male, and since you  
are the way you are, we're all going to be old and decrepit before you do, which is why I'm  
here...hitting you," she finished.  
  
Wufei just stared at her. "You said that all in one breath?"  
  
"Shut up," she said, sounding like her normal self. "Now, are you going to tell her or  
not? I'm feeling weird here; it's not my nature to play matchmaker...well, hitting you was  
fun..." she mused.  
  
"Har har."  
  
"Well?! I'm not leaving you alone until I get an answer from you. Heck, I'll just hit  
you again on the other side of your face."  
  
"Fine! I like her!"  
  
"And..." Reiming prompted.  
  
"And..." Wufei hesitated, hating how his younger sister was dominating him, "I'll tell  
her..."  
  
"BEFORE we all hit 80, right?????"  
  
Wufei sighed. "Yes...I'll tell her...soon."  
  
"You're telling her tonight."  
  
"Don't push it."  
  
But even though Wufei had insisted on taking his time, that evening, he was staring at Meilai  
from the window. Meilai had been practicing some more, and at the moment, was taking a break,  
lying on the grass and staring at the stars. "Why am I here?" he muttered helplessly.  
"Oh well..." and he started downstairs.  
  
"Wufei?" Meilai said, sitting up as Wufei walked out. "You're up late."  
  
"So are you."  
  
Meilai smiled. "Point."  
  
Wufei laughed. "You say point, Reiming says touche. You two are so similar, it's scary."  
  
Meilai laughed. "So...any reason you're up so late?" she asked, looking at him sideways.  
  
"Well...yes," Wufei said, then stopped, his throat closing. "I can't believe I'm this  
nervous," he thought to himself.  
  
Meanwhile, Meilai had layed back down on the grass. "Yeah, I'm staying up late to practice,  
get in shape." Her eyes grew flinty. "I'm going to make sure I win," she said grimly.  
  
Wufei nodded, still trying to figure out what to say. "Ah...well, there's a reason I'm up...an  
important one..." he stammered.  
  
Meilai turned to him, surprised. "Wufei, are you okay? You look like you're sweating..."  
  
"Weeell..."  
  
"Do you have a fever?"  
  
"Meilai, I have feelings for you," he blurted out. Damn, he thought, that was  
stupid Wufei.  
  
Meilai's eyes widened, and she sat up again. "Wufei..."  
  
"I'm sorry, that was stupid and undignified...I don't know why I did that; just forget  
it...I just had to tell you, sorry if I scared you," he babbled, unable to stop. "Sorry..." he  
murmured, standing up. "I'll just go now..."  
  
"Wufei..."  
  
At her voice, Wufei turned around. Meilai was looking at him hard, then she said quietly,   
"Wufei...I have feelings for you too..."  
  
Wufei sat down hard. She likes me too...he thought. He felt like her was on air; he was  
so happy. "You...you like me too?"  
  
"Yes...I just didn't say anything because...because you were my sister's husband," she  
blurted out. "I didn't want to seem like..."  
  
"I know...I'm sorry if I seem unfaithful to Meiran..." but suddenly, Wufei, looking at  
Meilai in the starlight, was overcome. Leaning towards her, he suddenly kissed her, and   
inside, was deeply satisfied when Meilai started kissing him back. Soon, both were too  
involved to be thinking of anything else.  
  
"Ugh..." Reiming said, turning away from the window. "Really, guys are just horny  
jerks when you get down to it."  
  
"All guys?" Trowa said.  
  
"You're the exception," Reiming said, pointedly keeping her back to the window.   
"Really! I told him to tell her how he felt, not get himself screwed, literally! Sheesh," she  
muttered. "Who would have thought?"  
  
Trowa smiled. "Well then, little miss nosy, are we ready to give them the privacy they  
deserve?" he asked, taking her hand.  
  
"Don't call me little," she muttered, but followed him out of the room. "Well...if he  
gets her pregnant, I guess I'll have plenty of ammunition to tease him with..."  
  
next day...  
  
"So Brother, did you tell Meilai how you felt?" Reiming said sweetly. "I stayed up  
waiting for you...you didn't go to your room until late!"  
  
Wufei looked at his sister uncomfortably. "Er...yes I did..." he said carefully.  
  
"Oh! Good for you! I'm so proud of you!"  
  
Wufei sighed, and turned around. "Okay, fine...what do you know?"  
  
"Me? Know? Oh no no, Wufei. I don't know anything. WHY would you think that I know  
anything?"  
  
"Reiming..."  
  
"Weeelll...all I'm saying is that, for your sake, I hope she doesn't get pregnant, or  
I will never let you forget the fact that you, like most men, simply follow your pointers  
through life, that's all."  
  
Wufei paled. "You...you...saw?!" he cried.  
  
"Oh, I turned around," she said mildly. "Oh, look at the time. Talk to you later, my  
dear Brother." And Reiming turned around and swept off, leaving behind an extremely  
embarrassed Wufei.   
  
Chapter 36  
  
"She knows?!"  
  
"She knows," Wufei said flatly, shocked and very embarrassed. "She...she stayed up late  
last night and must have...seen."  
  
Meilai's face turned bright red. "Oh, this is just great," she muttered. "She's not going to  
let me forget this..." Then her eyes widened. "Was she angry?"  
  
"No...just very amused...Anyways, she wouldn't be angry or upset at you; she just can't  
wait to start teasing me," he said dully. "I think the little girl in her is coming back."  
  
"Just like old times, hmm?" Meilai asked, smiling a little. "It's kind of hard to  
imagine that Reiming was ever that happy and carefree...and mischievous!" she added.  
  
Wufei smiled. "Yes...she was definitely a handful; a typical little sister!"  
  
The two of them chuckled a little. "Wufei," Meilai asked, "Did you happen to mention anything  
about me to her, or was it just bad luck that she happened to be up yesterday?"  
  
"Weelll...she confronted me about having feelings for you. When I was too stubborn to  
admit it, she woke me up, the hard way," he added, rubbing his jaw, which was now purple  
black.  
  
"Oh, so is that how you got that bruise!" Meilai asked, laughing. "Well then, at least  
now I know why she just happened to be there last night!"  
  
later...  
  
"So Reiming, you know, don't you?" Meilai asked, walking in on Reiming polishing her  
sword.   
  
Reiming didn't bother looking up. "Ah, so I guess Wufei told you how I had the extreme  
misfortune of witnessing some very extreme PDA last night, so to speak?"  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
Reiming smiled, studying her blade. Putting it back in its sheath, she stood up. "So Meilai,  
how do you feel right now?" she asked seriously.  
  
Meilai hesitated. "I...I'm happy, I guess," she said carefully. Oh, God help me, I don't want  
to say the wrong thing right now, she thought.  
  
Reiming looked at her some more, and smiled, to Meilai's relief. "That's good...the heads of  
the Chang males are hard," she said, rubbing her fist. Meilai burst out laughing. "Well, you  
left a very impressive bruise!" she chuckled.  
  
Reiming smiled also. "Did I? Huh, I guess my fist is tougher than I thought, to be able to  
put a bruise on HIS face!"  
  
Meilai stopped laughing, then became serious. "Thank you, Reiming," she said quietly.  
Reiming understood. "Take care of my headstrong brother for me," she said, then realizing what  
she had just said, said, "No pun intended!"  
  
later...  
  
"WHAT is going on?!" Duo sputtered, walking in on Wufei and Meilai, who had been  
sitting very close to each other outside in the garden. Neither of the two moved, Wufei only  
glancing up briefly to say, "Hello Duo." Duo left, shaking his head, very confused.  
"Really...first it's Trowa and Reiming, and now it's Wufei and Meilai...Really, these two are  
completely messing with my mind! I'm so confused!" he finished, walking inside where Dorothy  
sat with baby Rayan.  
  
"What is it this time Duo?" Dorothy asked, feeding Rayan with a bottle.  
  
"Wufei and Meilai, that's what!"  
  
"Oh, you mean how Meilai's Meiran's sister?"  
  
"No! I mean how they're sitting very close to each other outside at this moment!"  
  
Clearly, Dorothy did not expect that answer. She abruptly stood on, and balancing Rayan on her  
hip, she quickly went outside. She came back shortly with a very shocked expression on her  
face. Duo smirked. "NOW do you understand?"  
  
"They...they...Wufei and MEILAI?!" Dorothy sputtered. "Since when?!"  
  
"How should I know?"  
  
"Amazing..." Dorothy muttered, shaking her head and going back to feeding Rayan.   
"Still...I suppose they DO make a cute couple."  
  
Duo stared. "They're brother and sister in law!"  
  
"Not anymore. Meiran died, remember?"  
  
"Yes...but..." Duo sputtered, then subsided. "I guess you're right..." he sighed, then  
his eyes widened. "Whoa, does Reiming know?"  
  
"Does Reiming know what?" Reiming asked, walking in.  
  
"Er..." Duo stammered, unsure of what to say, and looked helplessly at Dorothy, who was  
pointedly ignoring him, pretending to be concentrating very hard on feeding her son. "Er..."  
  
Reiming smiled, enjoying torturing Duo. Casually, she said, "Oh well, never mind. Now if you  
need to talk to me, I'll be outside in the garden." As soon as she said those words, Duo  
froze. "Ah...Oh wait! I remember what I was going to say. I was...uh...I was..."  
  
"Yes???"  
  
"Er...the ANTI XERO system! Yeah, that's right, the ANTI XERO program."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Er...could you explain how it works again to me? I never got those biology things,"  
Duo said hastily, grabbing Reiming's arm and tugging her out of the room. Reiming allowed  
herself to be led from the room. Right before she left, she turned around and saw Dorothy  
watching them with interest. Seeing that, Reiming winked at her. Dorothy's eyes widened, and  
she shook her head. "You know?" she mouthed. Reiming nodded. Dorothy smiled, and mouthed,   
"My lips are sealed."  
  
later...  
  
"Wufei and Meilai are together!" Duo said franctically, rushing into the room that he  
and Hilde said. Looking up, Hilde's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"  
  
"No I'm not," Duo said breathlessly, closing the door behind him. "Reiming doesn't know  
yet, so keep it quiet, okay?"  
  
"Okay..." Hilde said, still shocked. "But...I can't believe this! Wufei and Meilai?!"  
  
Within a matter of an hour, word had spread throughout the station that Wufei and Meilai were  
a couple, and, thanks to Duo, everyone also thought that Reiming had no clue whatsoever.   
However, Relena raised an eyebrow when Hilde finished pouring out the story to her. "Reiming  
doesn't know?" she said skeptically. "Are you sure?"  
  
"That's what Duo said...but then again...he IS Duo."  
  
Relena frowned. "That's odd...but oh well; I guess Wufei is as good as keeping secrets as she  
is."  
  
Across the room, Dorothy hid a smile.  
  
that evening  
  
Dinner was very strained. Everyone was acting very oddly, with the exception of Reiming,  
Dorothy, Wufei, Trowa, and Meilai. Even though Trowa knew very well that Reiming knew about  
the two, he figured that if that the story had circulated that she didn't know, he decided that  
she was probably going to torture them for a while, he thought ruefully. "You're sneaky, you  
know that?" he had said to her earlier. She had just smiled sweetly.  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the pilots were shifting in their seats and glancing at Wufei and Meilai  
and then at Reiming nervously. Eventually, this unnerved them to the point that Meilai finally  
asked, "Okay, what is going on?"  
  
"Er..." Relena said uncertainly, unsure of how to word her sentences.  
  
"Does this have anything to do with Meilai and me?" Wufei demanded.  
  
Eyes wide, Noin sent Wufei some pointed looks, in hopes of quieting him, but he obviously  
didn't get it. "Look, if you guys have something against us being together..." he started.  
  
"Shut up!" Duo hissed, glancing at Reiming, who was calmly eating.  
  
"Huh? Shut up about what?" Meilai asked, confused.  
  
Quatre groaned, sinking in his seat. "She doesn't know!" he tried hissing in a quiet voice.  
  
"Who's she? What doesn't this person know?"  
  
"You know, about you two!" Hilde whispered fiercely.  
  
"Reiming? What doesn't she know?" Wufei asked, bewildered.  
  
The entire group groaned. "Here come the fireworks," Zechs thought grimly.  
  
At this point, Reiming spoke up. "You know, Wufei, I was just thinking. After this whole war  
is over, I really think you and Meilai should settle down in China, that is, if you don't  
become a Preventer again. I think it'd be nice for your children to be raised in the country  
of their ethnicity."  
  
"That'd be nice," Wufei mused, glancing at Meilai, who looked thoughtful. "I'd like  
to live there," she said thoughtfully.  
  
The entire group's jaws dropped. "What...the..." Lady Une gasped.  
  
Mariemaia stared. "You...you KNEW?!"  
  
"Knew what? Oh, you mean that they were in love? Of course I knew; I was the one that  
set them up!" she said breezily.  
  
The entire group fell out of their chairs, shocked. At this, Dorothy couldn't take it anymore,  
and she burst out laughing. "You...should see...the expression...on your faces!" she gasped  
out between laughs.  
  
"Oh, that SO was NOT funny!" Duo growled, climbing back on his chair. "You knew this  
afternoon, didn't you?!" he demanded furiously.  
  
"Well...I hate to sound so, ah, immature, but...DUH!"  
  
"And then you kept us all running around, chasing our tails!"  
  
"Hey, I didn't do a thing. You all came to your own conclusions," she responded.   
  
"Dorothy, you knew?!" Quatre said, turning to Dorothy, whose face was still red from  
laughing so hard. "How?"  
  
"Before Duo dragged her out of the room in an effort to keep her from seeing Wufei and  
Meilai together, she winked at me. I came to my own conclusions."  
  
"Well, that's just great..." Quatre muttered. Turning to Trowa, he said, "You knew  
too, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes. I was with her when Wufei finally confessed his feelings to Meilai."  
  
"You WERE?!" Wufei sputtered, paling. Oh that's just great; how much did he see? he  
thought franctically. "However," Trowa said continuing, "I had to depend on Reiming telling me  
what was going on; I didn't actually see anything." Wufei's heart rate returned to normal.  
  
Heero looked at Wufei suspiciously. "Any reason why you're so pale Wufei?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Oh that's just great Wufei," Meilai muttered, turning pink. "Can you be just a little  
more obvious?!"  
  
Regaining his composure, Duo snickered. "Well well well Wufei, we learn something new about   
you every day!"  
  
"Shut up..." he muttered.  
  
"Well then, it's late. Good night everyone," Reiming said pleasantly, standing up.  
Ignoring the sullen looks everyone gave her, she went over to Trowa, kissed him on the cheek,   
and left.  
  
"I'll be going too," Meilai said hastily, standing up. "Good night." Wufei also  
muttered a hasty excuse and ran off. The rest of the group just sat there, staring at each  
other. "What did I say?" Duo sighed. "Those two girls are messing with my mind." 


	8. Part 8: Confronting the Past; The Final ...

Chapter 37  
  
"Hey everyone, check this out!" Meilai called several days later. The group hurried  
over to the monitor and stared. Various mobile suits were leaving the base and heading out to  
space or the Earth. "They're deserting..." Heero said quietly. Duo smiled savagely. "Ha,  
looks like no one wants to work for THEM anymore!" he said gleefully.  
  
"Himmler and Atkins won't take this well," Reiming said quietly. "We'll have to  
fight them now, whether we want to or not. In this position, they may do something  
desperate." The other pilots looked at her grimly and agreed.  
  
a few days later...  
  
"Impressive..." Reiming said, looking at the upgraded gundams. Heero's Wing gundam,  
now made of X-Gundamium like all the others, sported larger boosters and a larger shield.  
The beam cannon had also been upgraded, and the beam saber made longer, and extra ammunition  
added. The Deathscythe had a double bladed weapon now, with more than one buster shield.  
Heavyarms had had its defense upgraded, and even more weapons, along with the addition of a  
longer thermal knife and an extra beam sword. Sandrock had two more extra scythes on its back,  
and extra boosters, to make it quicker. Altron's Dragon Fang had been upgraded to make it  
more powerful, and it's trident made larger to give it a longer reach. The trident had also  
been given a second end. Finally, Epyon's whip had been made stronger, and it's beam sword  
even more poweful. It too was also equipped with larger boosters to make it more agile and  
quicker.  
  
"Wow..." little Jerry said, staring. "Are you sure I can't pilot your suit Dad?" he  
sulked. Duo laughed. "With luck, you won't ever have to..."  
  
Reiming turned around. "Run this plan again, just so I'm sure of everything."  
  
"You and Meilai go and attack the base. This will draw out Himmler and Atkins, and  
then you four can fight all you want. The rest of us will deal with the mobile dolls. Also, at  
the same time, we will be trying to get close to the base to destroy it." Heero said.  
  
Reiming nodded, and turned to Meilai. "Ready...Veylona?"  
  
Meilai nodded grimly, a steely glint in her eyes. "Of course, Lillith."  
  
"Oh more thing," Heero said. Looking each in the eye, he said, "Do NOT use the ANTI  
XERO system unless you absolutely have to," he said. "The rest of us will be running on the  
XERO program also."  
  
"You will know if we're going to use it," Reiming said in an icy voice. At the sound of  
her voice, Trowa and Wufei turned to stare at her. Her eyes were dead once more, but she  
smiled fleetingly. "Last battle, and then I can forever forsake the name Lillith."  
  
"The same here," Meilai said, her eyes cold as well. "I will no longer be Veylona...  
but first, I must kill the one who destroyed my humanity..."  
  
The other pilots stared at them for a while, and then nodded. "Let's go," Wufei said, and they  
all turned to their suits.   
  
"Wait!" Cathrine called. Running to Reiming, she said awkwardly, "I...I don't doubt  
that you will emerge victorious, but just in case...thank you...for giving my brother  
back to me..."  
  
Reiming looked at her coldly, and Cathrine shuddered a little. But then, she said, "I didn't  
do anything I shouldn't have. But I accept your gratitude. Maybe later, I can express my  
gratitude better," and she abruptly turned around and jumped into Phoenix. The other pilots  
did the same, and each turned to face the space battleship.  
  
outside...  
  
"Ready, Lillith?" Meilai called over.  
  
"Ready."  
  
On the side, Wufei called to Heero, "I think we'd best leave them alone for now," he said.  
  
"Roger that."  
  
Resolutely, the Phoenix and Seraphim flew towards the station, and sure enough, the Chimera and  
Griffon came out. "Wow..." Duo murmured. "Impressive suits."  
  
Duo was right. The Chimera was a weapon juggernaut. Humanoid with the face of a lion and  
wings on its back, it had a weapon similar to Wufei's Dragon Fang. It was armed with several  
gatling guns, just like Heavyarms, and it also wielded a large beam sword. The Griffon was  
smaller, but still a suit to be reckoned with. Like the Phoenix, it had wings and face of an  
eagle, but it was stockier than the Phoenix. It wielded a double headed energy staff along  
with a beam cannon, with smaller rocket launchers in various places, just like the ones on the  
Wing gundam. The four suits met in the middle, and all stopped.  
  
In Reiming's cockpit, the face of Himmler flashed up. "He's gotten older and grayer," she  
thought. His face had an ugly sneer on it. "So...you think you've won?" he demanded. "You  
haven't. Atkins and I will come back, stronger, with more supporters. We WILL triumph!" he  
shrieked. Reiming said nothing, but thought to herself, blathering old fool. He's cornered,  
and he knows it.  
  
In Meilai's cockpit, a similar exchange occured with Atkins. Though she was tempted to lash  
back at him, Meilai kept her face empty of expression. Before the battle, she and Reiming had  
had a long talk. "We don't say a WORD," Reiming said firmly. "It will give them a hand hold  
over us."  
  
While Meilai reminisced, Atkins lunged for her, weapon out. Meilai responded by parrying with  
her saber, and the two hacked away at each other. Himmler in the meantime drew his gatling  
guns and started firing, lashing out at the same time with his Dragon Fang. Reiming avoided  
most of the shots and struck back with her beam cannon.  
  
"Now would be good," Duo said grimly, watching the four and watching the mobile dolls  
that came out from the station.  
  
"There's...500 of them?!" Quatre said, surprised.  
  
"Oh well..." Zechs said. "Let's go."  
  
The gundam pilots flew to meet the robotic fighters and plunged into the fray.  
  
In the meantime, the four fighters were at a standstill. All had scored hits on each other,  
but neither was winning. Meilai had succeeded in knocking away and destroying Atkins' beam  
cannon, although the explosion it caused had impacted her suit as well. In the meantime, the  
wings on her suit, which in reality stored several missiles, had been damaged. The damage had  
caused the missiles to explode, throwing her suit off balance. Reiming had mananged to  
incapacitate Himmler's Dragon Fang, but not before his gatling guns riddled her suit with  
bullets. However, fortunately for her, in his frenzy to shoot her, Himmler had used up the  
majority of his bullets.  
  
The gundam pilots were having some difficulties also. Each had been surrounded by mobile dolls,  
and they had been forced to fly around rapidly to avoid getting hit and to have the mobile   
dolls shoot each other down.  
  
"These dolls are about the same as the ones years ago," Quatre thought, wiping sweat  
from his brow, "But their sheer numbers makes things difficult..."   
  
However, the gundam pilots were not gundam pilots for nothing. In a matter of minutes, there  
were only 200 dolls left.  
  
"Whew!" Duo said, exhausted. "This is harder than I thought it would be..."  
  
In her battle with Atkins, Meilai's temper had been building, and she felt like screaming at  
him. Finally, she could hardly take it anymore, and contacted Reiming. "Lillith?" she asked,  
but Reiming shook her head grimly, concentrating on the target in front of her. "No," she  
said simply.  
  
The gundam pilots continued hacking away at the mobile dolls. Finally, after a long time, all  
were destroyed. "Time for the station," Wufei said, heading towards it. The other gundam  
pilots followed...and received an unwelcome surprise. "This isn't X-Gundamium!" Trowa said,  
surprised. "No...it's much much denser..." Zechs mused. Raising his beam sword, he brought  
it down hard...and nothing happened. "Oh no..."  
  
Back in their battle, Himmler smirked. "You think we'd make our station so weak?" he mocked.  
Reiming grit her teeth and continued hacking away. Meilai did the same. However, then,  
Atkins moved a lever in his suit, and suddenly, the massive beam cannon on the station moved.  
  
"What?!" Zechs said, shocked. "Everyone, move!" right as the cannon fired. It missed  
the gundams, but it still damaged them. "Well, this is great," Duo muttered. "We're alive,  
but in our condition, we can't destroy the station...not that we were having much luck  
before anyway..."  
  
Meilai shot another look at Reiming. This time, neither hesitated. "Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre,  
Wufei, Zechs," Reiming said. They got the hint, and each disabled the Xero system.  
  
"They disabled the system?" Atkins said, suspicious. Then his eyes widened in  
realization. "Too late," Meilai snarled, the first thing she had said, and tapped in ANTI  
XERO. Reiming did the same. Immediately, the Phoenix and Chimera began giving off intense  
energy.  
  
In the cockpits of the Chimera and Griffon, both pilots clutched their heads. "What...the...?!"  
Himmler stammered, and tried to disable the system. "Computer overloaded?!" he choked, staring  
at the message.  
  
In the Phoenix, Reiming smiled savagely. "Like my little surprise, old man?" she sneered,   
fighting back her own pain. "It's more intense than she said it would be!" Wufei said  
furiously, realizing that Reiming had deliberately made the amount of intensity higher than  
she had told them. "REIMING!"  
  
In the cockpit of the Griffon, Atkins, barely fighting back the pain, snarled, "One...last...  
surprise!" and pressed a button. Instantly, the cannon completely exploded, blowing back the  
gundams.  
  
"I can't move!" Duo called. "Deathscythe is completely down!"  
  
"That's not all..." Quatre said. "There's another cannon on there!"  
  
"WHAT?!" shouted all the pilots. "That's right; it was hidden and couldn't be   
activated until the main cannon exploded...and it's aimed right at Earth!"  
  
"Can we stop it?" Heero demanded. "No...the computer has been programmed ahead of  
time..."  
  
During this time, Trowa was thinking. Scanning space for the cannon, he saw the cannon   
slowing emerging from the debris, aimed towards Earth, then he looked at the four  
battling suits. Finally, he made a split second decision. "Wufei," he called. Wufei  
stared at him grimly, and nodded. "Reiming, Meilai," Wufei called. "Disable your systems now!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Reiming snarled, almost doubling over in pain. The other two suits are  
stronger than I thought...they should have been completely overloaded by now! she thought.  
  
In response, both Trowa and Wufei typed in the word DEFER and transferred all their power to  
their attack energy.  
  
Reiming stared. "You have got to be kidding me..." she muttered. "You STOLE that out from  
under my nose!"  
  
"Yes yes," Wufei said impatiently. "Now, DISABLE!"  
  
"I'm disabling..." Meilai gasped. "I...I trust Wufei."  
  
Reiming hesitated, then disabled also. "Your plan had better be good," she growled.  
  
Meanwhile, both Himmler and Atkins sat up. "They disabled it..." they murmured. "Oh well, all  
the better for us."  
  
In the meantime, Trowa and Wufei used their deferred power to start filling the area with  
blasts. "What?!" Meilai said, staring. "Oh!" she said, staring at the cannon. "Lillith?"  
"I understand," Reiming said. And with that, both girls flew towards the Chimera and Griffon  
while they were distracted by Trowa and Wufei, and slammed them into the cannon. The thing  
sputtered for a moment, then exploded, causing a chain reaction and taking the station down  
with it.  
  
Chapter 38  
  
The space fortress exploded in a burst of light. Debris went flying everywhere, only to  
disintegrate. The pilots watched this display silently. "It's over," Trowa said quietly,  
"It's finally over..."  
  
Reiming and Meilai stared at the remains of the station. "After all those years," Meilai  
murmured. "We...we're finally...free..." Then she started to cry silently.  
  
"Meilai, are you okay in there?" Wufei called.  
  
"Yes," she sobbed. "I'm more than okay."  
  
Reiming didn't cry, only sat staring mutely at the debris. "They paid for the crimes they  
committed, at long last," she thought silently. "And I am free."  
  
Trowa's face flickered onto the monitor. "Reiming?"   
  
Slowly, Reiming turned to face him, and she smiled. "Trowa...thank you." Trowa smiled at her  
gently. "Let's go."  
  
And so each of the pilots turned back to the station, some towing others, some flying on their  
own. But regardless of the conditions of their suits, they all felt the same. "Mission...  
complete," Heero said, turning around and flying back, where Relena and his child awaited him.  
  
As the pilots flew in, their friends rushed out to greet them. Howard and his crew all started  
to cheer, then jumped up to help them all out of their suits, then proceeded to pummel each of  
them soundly on the back. Duo leaped out from his suit first, and, with a few strides, raced  
up to Hilde and picked her up and spun her around. "We did it baby!" he crowed, while she  
laughed. Dorothy handed Rayan to Lady Une and ran towards Quatre. "Quatre!" she cried, tears  
streaming down her cheeks. Seeing her, Quatre laughed and jumped out, then to everyone's  
surprise, pulled her towards him and planted a long kiss on her lips. Enjoying his wife's   
shocked expression, he chuckled, "What, you didn't think I had that in me?" Zechs also   
received an elaborate welcome from Noin, who was crying with joy. She hugged him hard, then  
allowed their two exuberant daughters to join in in the celebration.   
  
Finally, Heero stepped out from his suit. "Heero..." Relena said, standing in front of him  
calmly. Then tears flowed from her eyes. "You came back to me Heero," she whispered, then  
threw herself forward and into his arms. "Daddy!" Mariko shrieked, following her mother's  
suit. Looking up at Relena, she said, "You weren't wrong Mommy. You and Daddy are okay!"  
  
Trowa and Wufei also left their suits, then turned back to wait for Reiming and Meilai. Slowly,  
the doors to the two suits opened, but neither girl stepped out. Instead, they silently  
observed the celebration that was going outside. "Do I have a place here?" Reiming  
wondered, suddenly insecure. "The last traces of the only life I've known for more than a  
decade have just disappeared...What now?" She was jarred from her ponderings by Meilai, who  
stepped from her own suit into hers. "Meilai..."  
  
"We have new lives now...Reiming," Meilai said gently. "Let's put our past behind us."  
  
"I...I feel...lost..."  
  
"So do I...but you know as well as I that there are people in this world who...who  
love us," she whispered joyfully. "We do have a place in this world Reiming."  
  
Reiming thought about this, then smiled. "Yes...we do have a place in life," and she stepped  
from her suit. "Trowa Barton..." she said quietly, turning to face him. Trowa stepped  
forward and stopped a foot in front of her. Reiming hesitated. "I..." she faltered. Can I  
do this? she thought. Yes, I'm a new person now...I can do this! "Trowa, I love you," she  
said firmly, looking straight into his eyes. Trowa said nothing, but smiled and drew her to  
him and into his arms. "I love you, Reiming," he said quietly, then bent down and kissed her.  
  
"Meilai?"  
  
Meilai turned slowly and faced a smiling Wufei. Suddenly, she started laughing. "I'm so  
happy!" she said. "Peace...it is finally here once again!"  
  
"Is that all?" he said teasingly, pulling her close.  
  
She smiled up at him mischievously. "Well, what do you think?"  
  
"I think-" and was shocked to find himself cut off when she kissed him. After, he  
said, "I think you are much too aggressive for your own good, you onna!" he said.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that right?"  
  
Wufei smiled. "And this," he said, kissing her passionately for a long time, "is how you give  
the person you love a real kiss," he said smugly when they finally came up for air.  
  
"YO!" a voice bellowed in his ear. Wufei started and turned indignantly to face a  
grinning Duo and company. "Hurry it up a little really! Or at least get a room," he added  
devilishly.  
  
"Or go into the garden," Reiming called from her position in Trowa's arms.  
  
Meilai put on an innocent expression on her face. "Will you be spying on us again?" she asked  
with feigned innocence.  
  
Reiming winced. "Ugh...never again," she muttered. "I'm surprised that I'm not blind."  
  
"Oh be quiet," Wufei said crossly. "It's not anything I'm sure you and Trowa won't be  
doing anytime soon!"  
  
"Hey!" Reiming said furiously. "We haven't done a thing!"  
  
"And that's a good thing?"  
  
"Ha! You just proved my point. Men are all perverted jerks."  
  
"Hey!" all the males cried, while the women laughed. "It's good to know," Hilde gasped,  
"That someone else here shares my sentiments!"  
  
Laughing, the entire group went back inside for a well deserved rest.  
  
a few months later...  
  
"When's he gonna do it?!" Duo said in an exasperated voice.  
  
"Shh!" Reiming whispered sharply, eyes not leaving from the scene in front of them.  
  
Hilde smacked Duo on the head, saying impatiently, "Really Duo! This was YOUR idea!"  
  
Relena raised an eyebrow. "Just like at my proposal a few years back?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Shh!" Dorothy said, leaning forward more to get a better look.  
  
In front of them were Wufei and Meilai. It had been several months since their triumphant  
return to the Earth. In fact, the press still hadn't let up on the issue. The pilots had  
been portrayed as messiahs; baby Rayan Winner had been in the papers for at least a month, his  
picture under the bold headline of "Winner Heir Finally Born!" and Reiming and Meilai hailed as  
the "heroic deserters." With THIS development, Dorothy thought, the press would have a field  
day.  
  
Wufei and Meilai were walking through the park, holding hands. The entire group was crouched  
behind a group of trees, and of course, Duo was holding the camera. "Aw...come on! It's  
cold out!" Duo complained. "Of all the times, he just HAS to pick winter to propose!"  
  
"Shut up!" Hilde, Dorothy, and Reiming snarled. "You'll give us away."  
  
Meanwhile, Meilai was blowing on her hands. "It's so cold!" she complained, turning to Wufei.  
"Wufei, do you have an extra pair of gloves? I haven't been able to find mine for the longest  
time!"  
  
"It's now or never," Wufei thought. Nodding, he reached into his jacket pocket and  
fished out a pair of gloves, one of which that had a curious lump in it. "Here...you can  
borrow mine."  
  
Behind the tree, the entire group strained forward. "About time!" Duo grumbled, zooming in.  
  
"Thank you...my hands are so cold!" Meilai said gratefully. "Here, I'll rub them for  
you," Wufei said.  
  
Behind the tree, the entire group nearly fell down with disappointment.  
  
Wufei raised an eyebrow. He had to admit, they had hidden themselves well, and if it hadn't  
been for Duo's inability to whisper, he wouldn't have known they were there at all. Smiling to  
himself, he continued to take his time. "There," he said. "Better?" Meilai nodded, and   
leaned against him contentedly. "Let's go find a place to sit down now, shall we?" he said.  
She nodded.  
  
"Well that's just great...the nearest bench is 200 feet away!" Duo muttered. Meanwhile,  
Reiming watched her brother with narrowed eyes. "Huh," she said. "What?" Relena asked.  
"He's doing it on purpose. He knows we're here."   
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Hilde turned to Duo. "This is all your fault!"  
  
"MY fault?!"  
  
"Yes! You're too loud!"  
  
"Fine fine," he grumbled. Meanwhile Reiming straightened and stepped into the open.  
"Reiming, what are you doing?" Dorothy asked. "Hurrying it up. I'm cold," and she began  
mouthing at Wufei, Hurry up! Wufei raised an eyebrow and pretended to not understand. She  
glared and drew a finger across her throat, giving him a nasty look. Wufei hastily covered his  
laugh with a cough, and when Meilai turned around at the sound, Reiming dove back behind the  
tree.  
  
But Wufei took the hint. Stopping, he said, "Meilai, your fingers will freeze. Why don't you  
put on the gloves?" Meilai agreed. "Okay," she said, starting to put them on, then froze,  
eyes wide.   
  
"Here it comes," Duo said, zooming in.  
  
Fingers trembling, Meilai pulled out the box. "Wufei...this is...this is..." she sputtered.  
Wufei smiled and took the box from her. Bending down to one knee, he said simply, "Meilai,  
will you marry me?"  
  
"Wufei...I...I...I am so happy! Yes, I will marry you!"  
  
Then, FLASH.  
  
Meilai whirled around. "What?!" she sputtered. "Duo!"  
  
"Hehe...it's been three years and I still have my impeccable camera skills," Duo said  
smugly, patting the camera.  
  
Meanwhile, Wufei was laughing at Meilai's expression. "You knew?!" she demanded.  
  
"I heard them, and when Reiming realized that, she made me stop stalling on purpose  
and so I hurried up."  
  
"Reiming?"  
  
"Hello Meilai," Reiming said casually, stepping out from behind the tree. Looking at  
Wufei, she said, "Let me guess, Duo was being too loud." Wufei nodded.  
  
"DUO!" Hilde howled, stepping into the open. "Idiot!"  
  
"Gomen nasai Hilde!" Duo pleaded, raising his hands in surrender. "I'm very sorry!"  
  
Meilai stared. "Hilde?"  
  
"May as well come out," Dorothy sighed, and she and Relena also appeared. Meilai stared  
some more. "Are Heero and Trowa here as well?"  
  
"They were smart and stayed in the car," Duo muttered, rubbing his hands. "Geez  
Wufei! Could you have gone any slower?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Ignoring Duo, Hilde stepped up and hugged Meilai. "Congratulations Meilai!" she said  
warmly. "Thank...thank you..." Meilai said, somewhat overcome. Then a wide smile  
appeared. "I don't believe how happy I am right now!" she gasped. The others laughed, and  
Wufei put his arm around her. "Well then, are you ready to go home to a heated house?"  
  
"Not yet," Relena said, clearing her throat. "After we found out about your proposal,  
ah, Heero and I, oh, shall we say, have a um, SMALL, party at our place waiting for you."  
  
Meilai raised an eyebrow. "Small?" she asked skeptically.  
  
"We-ell..."  
  
Meilai sighed, then smiled. "It's okay, I don't mind large parties."  
  
Wufei groaned, and they all laughed once more.  
  
Chapter 39  
  
Trowa stood somewhat nervously in front of the Preventer headquarters. After the war, Wufei had  
decided to go back to his old job, and Meilai had joined him. Staring at the building some  
more, Trowa fingered the box in his pocket and, taking a deep breath, went in.  
  
"Hello Trowa," Meilai called out, wearing her new Preventer uniform. "Didn't expect to  
see you here."  
  
"Hello Meilai. Is Wufei in?"  
  
Meilai glanced at him oddly. "Yes...Here to see him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay, I'll tell him then."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Meilai got up and walked down the hall and knocked on a door. "Wufei?" she called. The door  
opened. "Hello Meilai. Is it time for lunch already?" Wufei asked, confused. "No no, Trowa  
is here to see you."  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
"Yes...Any reason why he's here?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
Wufei left his office and went to meet Trowa. "Trowa, good to see you. What do you need?"  
  
"Um..."  
  
Wufei stared at him. True, Trowa didn't talk much, but he usually wasn't speechless, as he  
clearly was now. Meilai glanced at the two men. "I'll leave you alone," she said, standing up,  
and bending down to receive a kiss from Wufei as she left.  
  
"So Trowa, what's the matter?"  
  
Finally, Trowa cleared his throat. "Wufei...I'm here to request your permission-"  
  
"Permission?!"  
  
"Yes...permission...to propose to Reiming," he said in a rush.   
  
Wufei stared. "I...I appreciate you coming...but you don't need my permission..." he stammered.  
  
Trowa shrugged. "You're her only living relative...I thought I should ask you."  
  
Regaining his composure, Wufei said, "Well then, thank you for coming. You have my  
permission, if that's how you want to put it..."  
  
Trowa stood, and so did Wufei. "Thank you Wufei," he said. "Good day."  
  
a few days later  
  
"This is much more like it!" Duo said from his perch in the light box in the circus.  
Once again, the entire group had congregated once more, only this time, they were inside a room  
with a heater. Below them was the circus ring, and they were watching Trowa as he  
performed some acrobatics.  
  
Squinting down, Noin said, "I see Trowa...but where's Reiming?"  
  
"Don't worry about that," Cathrine said, walking in. Smiling smugly, she said, "I made  
sure that she was sitting right in the front, where she's supposed to."  
  
The group watched as Trowa performed some more tricks, then leaped up in his standard spin in  
the air. "Oooh!" the audience said, awed. But instead of landing in the ring, he landed  
outside of the ring...in front of Reiming.  
  
"Oh, so THAT's where she is," Hilde said, leaning forward as Duo zoomed in with his  
lens.  
  
Down in the audience, Reiming stared at Trowa. "Trowa...?"  
  
Trowa bowed, and then went down on one knee and pulled out a box. "Marry me?" he asked.  
  
Regaining her composure, Reiming smiled impishly, and said, "Here's my answer," and pulled him  
towards her for a long kiss. "Aww..." the audience sighed.  
  
Up in the box, Duo was taking picture after picture. "See, this is what I really like about  
this," he said gleefully. "I don't get caught after taking just one picture."  
  
Back down in the audience, after the two pulled apart, Trowa took the ring and put it on her  
finger, while the audience cheered. The ringmaster came out and said, "Let's hear it for  
Trowa Barton and the soon to be Mrs. Reiming Chang Barton!"   
  
Over the roar of the audience, the pilots and their wives opened the window. "Whoo-hoo!"  
Duo bellowed over the crowd. "Way to go Trowa!" Surprised, both of them turned around and  
stared, while Duo waved gleefully. "Duo..." Hilde groaned, hiding her face.  
  
after...  
  
"It's a wonder how the press caught on so darn quickly!" Reiming muttered, glaring  
out at the numerous reporters that waited outside, waiting to pounce as soon as they set  
foot outside of the tent. Trowa smiled. "Oh, it's not so bad. Remember how furious Wufei  
was, when he got to work the next day after he proposed and the reporters had surrounded the  
Preventer headquarters, purposely waiting for him?" Reiming sighed. "I suppose you're right,  
but that doesn't mean that I like them!"  
  
"Congratulations Reiming!" Dorothy called as the group thundered downstairs. Reiming  
was looking at the camera Duo was holding. "Just how many pictures did you take?"  
  
"You don't want to know."  
  
"You're probably right..."  
  
Smiling, Relena said. "It's okay, we predicted this would happen. There are several cars  
waiting for us out the back. Ready to escape?"  
  
a year later...  
  
"OH MY GOD!"  
  
Trowa winced at Reiming's howl of pain. She had been in labor for several hours already, and  
unlike Dorothy, the baby had most definitely not appeared yet. Trowa sighed...Reiming's  
petite figure definitely had its disadvantages, and this was one of them.  
  
Nervously, the doctor approached them. "Mrs. Barton...the cervix is completely dilated now...  
the baby should be here any minute now..."  
  
"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID TWENTY MINUTES AGO!"  
  
Trowa sighed and squeezed her hand. "Hang in there a little longer Reiming..."  
  
Reiming turned to face Trowa. "Now...I know what Meilai went through," she gasped. A few  
months earlier, Meilai had given birth to twin boys. Being petite, she had been in labor for  
many hours and had gone through a lot of pain.  
  
Reiming winced once again in pain, and Trowa squeezed her hand. "I...won't...swear..." she  
muttered through grit teeth. "I refuse to have the first word our child hears to be a   
profane one..."  
  
outside  
  
"It's been hours!" Wufei said franctically, pacing back and forth. "How much  
longer?!"  
  
"Wufei, calm down," Meilai said soothingly, feeding her two sons. "It's not going to  
help Reiming with her labor. Remember how long I took?"  
  
"Yes...but...but..." Wufei sputtered, still pacing.  
  
"Wufei, be a good husband and listen to your wife," Zechs said wryly.  
  
Noin shot him a look. "You should take your own advice," she muttered.  
  
Dorothy smiled. "All our husbands should take his advice."  
  
"Very funny," Quatre muttered.  
  
Mariemaia looked up from playing with Mariko. "I wonder how much longer?" she said worridly.  
  
"Don't worry...Reiming is very strong, as I'm sure we all know," Lady Une said.  
  
an hour later...  
  
"Trowa, help me here. My vow is becoming increasingly hard to keep," Reiming gasped.  
Trowa pat her cheek. "I have faith in you Reiming. You won't break a promise." But even  
though he was calm, Trowa was in pain also. Seeing his wife writhe in pain and suffer for the  
last 24 hours or so had been difficult. "This must be how Heero, Duo, Quatre, Wufei, and Zechs  
all felt like," he thought. But another yelp of pain from Reiming brought him back to reality.  
  
"Now, Mrs. Barton! It's coming now!" the exhausted doctor said. And with one final  
push, a crying baby girl was born. Reiming lay down, exhausted, muttering. "What?" Trowa  
asked, after he had recovered from the shock of seeing his newborn daughter. "Never...never  
again..." Reiming muttered, but turned to look at her daughter lovingly. "She's...my   
daughter..." she said incredulously. Then her eyes filled with tears. "Trowa...I am so  
happy..." Trowa smiled, and leaned down to kiss his exhausted wife, then kissed his  
newborn daughter. Then he stood to tell everyone the news.  
  
outside...  
  
The door swung open, and everyone jumped to their feet. "Girl," Trowa said simply, then his  
face broke into a radiant smile. "She's...beautiful."  
  
The pilots rushed forward to congratulate Trowa. "But how's Reiming?" Wufei asked  
worridely. "Exhausted, but very happy." Wufei let out a sigh of relief.  
  
Duo looked around and smiled. "Well...we've all come a long way, haven't we?" he said  
quietly, serious for once. The pilots all nodded. "It's been so many years..." Quatre said,  
in wonder. "Now...we're all married, and now we all have kids too!"  
  
Relena smiled and nodded. "Yes...it's been a while," she said, slipping her arm through  
Heero's.  
  
Trowa smiled, and said, "Well, I'll be going back now. Thanks for staying here."  
  
"Wait Trowa! Name would be good!" Duo called. Stopping, Trowa said, "Oh yes, her   
name is Giselle Barton." and he turned back to his wife. 


	9. Part 9: And So it is Over; Until We Must...

Chapter 40  
  
five years later...  
  
A car pulled up to a large mansion, where a crowd of reporters stood. Three people got out, and  
the reporters pounced. Questions filled the air, as the three people shoved their way  
through the mob, pointedly ignoring them.   
  
"Whew!" Reiming said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I will never like reporters..."  
Then, taking Giselle's hand and putting her other arm through Trowa's, they headed up the  
steps.  
  
"Giselle!" a little girl shrieked, running towards them.  
  
"Hi Clare!" Giselle called, waving. Turning to fix both her green eyes on her parents,  
she asked politely, "Mommy, Daddy, could I go play with Clara please?" Her parents smiled and  
Reiming released her hold on her child's hand, and the bouncy child ran off with Clare, Dorothy  
and Quatre's second child, who was four years old. Watching them run off, Trowa studied their   
child. "She has my green eyes...but her eyes are the shape of Reiming's eyes. Her hair is dark,  
like Reiming's, but her skin color is paler, more like mine. And she has Reiming's old   
personality," he finished. Smiling proudly at their daughter, he murmured, "She truly is our   
child."  
  
Reiming had been doing the same with Clare. "Quatre's wide eyes, pale blond hair like Dorothy,  
and Dorothy's temperment," she chuckled. "Well," she corrected, "Not AS assertive, but   
certainly no pushover! A good mix between the two."  
  
The two smiled and walked into the main room, where they were met by Relena and Heero,  
and Quatre and Dorothy.  
"Trowa, Reiming!" Relena called in greeting, standing up. "We haven't seen you in so   
long!" Dorothy said. Reiming smiled. "The key word in a traveling circus is the word traveling.  
But I'm glad we got this chance to see you all."  
  
"How IS life in the circus?" Relena asked.  
  
"Very eventful. Giselle is the little princess in the troupe," Reiming said, smiling.  
"And I'm doing a tight rope walking act."  
  
"What about a rope?" a voice said, and Duo and Hilde came in, Hilde carrying their  
newest child, Eva, who was one. The two other children, Jerry, who was now a still smiling  
child, but was now eleven, and Thomas, an equally mischievous four year old, followed.  
"Sheesh!" Duo muttered. "Stupid reporters...always in the way!"  
  
Duo and Hilde let their children loose with the exception of Eva, who sat in Hilde's lap, and  
began talking about the last few years. "So Heero, how have you been?" Duo said jovially.  
"Still the same dull self? OW!" as Hilde yanked his braid. Heero glanced at him. "You  
obviously haven't changed," he said mildly. "Some things will never change," Trowa said.  
  
"What won't change?" and Wufei and Meilai walked in, with their twin boys, and so did  
Zechs and Noin, with Reena and Aelis and their third child, three year old Geoffry. "Where's   
Riko?" Aelis asked immediately. Despite the four year age difference, the two got along well.   
At the same time, Reena said, "Where's Jerry?" Noin sighed. "Where are your manners, ladies?"  
Geoffry snickered, and the twins glared at him sullenly, but the two apologized, and Mariko  
materialized out of nowhere. "Aelis!" the seven year old cried, and the two ran off.  
Jerry also appeared, along with Thomas, and Reena and Jerry ran off, with Thomas and Geoffry  
not far behind, singing, "Jerry and Reena, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Then Rayan, now  
six appeared, and he along with the five year old twins, Wuten and Wuli, ran off together.  
  
Glancing around, Noin asked, "Where're Lady Une and Mariemaia?"  
  
"Mariemaia is still on her honeymoon, and Lady Une is taking care of business in the  
space colonies," Wufei said. "They send their regrets."  
  
Relena sighed. "I can't believe how Mariemaia has grown up...She's twenty years old and married  
now!"  
  
Meilai nodded. "Time passes so quickly!"  
  
After chatting some more, they decided to eat lunch. Calling their children together, they  
set the children to eat in a different room, and they sat down at the long dining table.  
  
"So Trowa, how are things at the circus?" Duo asked.  
  
"It's doing well. I may get the position as manager after the current manager  
retires," Trowa said. "And you?"  
  
"Ah, business as usual. You know, fix this, fix that, go on this satellite, go to this  
colony," Duo said, waving his fork around...and accidentally splattering Heero with food.  
The entire table hushed. "You're screwed..." Hilde muttered, sinking down in her chair.  
Heero looked at the potato salad on his shirt, then at Duo, who was trying to hide, then back  
at his shirt. Then, he very deliberately filled his spoon with creamed corn and flung it at  
Duo...and missed and hit Dorothy. Dorothy promptly threw a carrot stick at him; Heero ducked,  
and it hit a very shocked Relena on the forehead, who proceeded to throw a tomato and hit   
Wufei, who then flung cole slaw at Reiming, and before anyone knew anything, an all out  
food fight started.  
  
"Mom?! Dad?!" eleven voices chorused. All the pilots stopped and stared. Peeking out  
from behind a door were all their children. "Er..." Relena stammered helplessly. There  
was a standstill, and then suddenly, Zechs took a roll and threw it at Reena. Reena stared at  
her father, and then giggling, grabbed a bunch of grapes and started throwing one at everyone in  
the room. In no time, the food fight resumed, which finally ended as each child fell laughing  
in their respective parent's arms.  
  
an hour later...  
  
"Good thing Relena and Heero have so many bathrooms," Meilai said ruefully, towling her  
hair. Then she smiled. "But it certainly was fun, though I do hope the reporters didn't catch  
any of that!"  
  
Finally, the day ended, and one by one, people started to leave. "We should do this more often,"  
Quatre said, shaking Heero's hand in farewell. Heero nodded. "Yeah..." The entire  
group gathered around in the front lawn, watching the sunset. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Noin  
said. Then she turned around to everyone. "We can't ever let anyone try to ruin these wonderful  
things in life," she said firmly, and they all nodded. Duo smiled grimly, "Yeah, anyone who  
tries another coup deals with us!" and they all smiled once again. Reiming sighed. "I wish  
we could see each other more...but we're all so busy..." Meilai agreed, then finally, each  
turned to leave. "Everyone, we'll continue to keep in touch!" Relena called, saddened to see  
everyone leaving. Heero put his arm around her, and she leaned into him. "But for the times  
we aren't all together...we have each other and our child," he said gently. Relena nodded and  
smiled up at him, and the two kissed.  
  
on the road...  
  
"That was fun..." Giselle said wistfully, peering out of the window. "I'll miss   
seeing Clare..."  
  
"Don't worry Giselle. You will see her again sometime," Reiming told her, and she  
turned to Trowa, she said softly, "I don't believe this...five years ago, I wouldn't have thought  
I could ever be this happy...I didn't think I would ever be loved or even be human..." and  
she put her hand through Trowa's. Squeezing it, Trowa looked down fondly at her. "Put the  
past behind you Reiming," he said softly, and slowing the car as the caravan came into view.  
They all got out of the car, Giselle running out to go play with the animals. The two  
stood there in the sunset, arms around each other. "Aishiteru...Reiming..." Trowa whispered.  
"Aishiteru, Trowa..."  
  
that evening...  
  
Meilai looked out the window. It was late, and the boys had been put to bed. Wufei came up  
behind her and put his arms around her. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Just thinking...about how happy I am..." she said softly.  
  
Wufei understood. Kissing her neck, he thought, "I am happy too...I have friends...a wife...  
children...and finally, peace. Farewell, Nataku...may you rest in peace...Thank you for  
everything..."  
  
Still staring up at the stars, Meilai murmured, "It was unforgettable, wasn't it?"   
  
"Yes..."  
  
And in all parts of space, in all parts of the Earth, Heero and Relena Yuy, Duo and Hilde  
Maxwell, Trowa and Reiming Barton, Quatre and Dorothy Winner, Wufei and Meilai Chang, and Zechs  
and Lucrezia Merquise agreed. Even at that moment, Lady Une, Mariemaia, and Cathrine all  
looked out into the starry night. "It was unforgettable...and it was worth it all...all for  
the sake of peace." And with that, each went to their own lives, knowing that, at the first   
hint of trouble, they would once again become the Perfect Soldiers, ready to defend the Earth  
and space.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Wow! I'm FINALLY done. If you actually read all forty of my chapters...good job! You have  
my undying respect:) And now...please send me feedback!!! This was my first fic; I want to  
know how you all like it. Send all your comments to lilangel4u@yahoo.com. Hope you liked it! 


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